Guerrilla-fuelled art has been etched into feminism for over 30 years, made popular by the Guerrilla Girls, a gorilla mask-clad gang of women creating the most iconic of protest posters. Bringing to light important issues surrounding equality in the art market, these ladies pose questions concerning the amount of women showing work in museums like the MET, compared with the amount of nude women portrayed by male artists in the same space. Using stickers, billboards, spray cans and posters, the group expose the matter of sexism in a very public way. This effective manner of protest has spawned globally from New York City, trickling into the smallest of communities tackling the most important of problems.
Borrowing from their predecessors is Bodies Awakened, a group of women’s rights activists fighting for abortion rights in Ireland, where it is illegal to have an abortion under the much disputed Eighth Amendment. From the streets of Temple Bar to the country’s Governmental Buildings, “honest, raw, poetic and to the point” artwork is cropping up all over Dublin City thanks to these advocates. “A visual campaign representing the voice of women who want to be heard” – the collective have also created a slightly unnerving video. Portraying a young Irish woman reciting a poem, the anonymous speaker underlines the problems with the Eighth Amendment, speaking the terrifying truth on behalf of all of the women of Ireland.
The news of Bodies Awakened follows a string of ongoing efforts that includes international protests, a very successful sweatshirt campaign and support from the United Nations and Amnesty International. Though these attempts for legislative turnover haven’t seen any changes just yet, this endeavour shows that Ireland won’t give up without a fight.
All images courtesy of Bodies Awakened