Guerrilla Girls by Andrew Hindraker, 2015
While everyone else is getting ready for a summer holiday filled with fun in the sun, the Guerrilla Girls will be hard at work, surveying over 400 European galleries and museums on issues regarding diverse representations in art. The investigation, which is being executed as part of a commissioned project by Whitechapel Gallery, plans to examine various intersections of race and gender. Once completed, the results will be presented at the London gallery.
Through this project, the group intends to pose the question: “Are museums today presenting a diverse history of contemporary art or the history of money and power?” Running from 1 October, this exhibition marks a milestone in the Guerrilla Girls’ career as it is their first major UK show.
Guerrilla Girls, DO WOMEN STILL HAVE TO BE NAKED TO GET INTO THE MET. MUSEUM?, 2012, courtesy of the Guerrilla Girls
“Are museums today presenting a diverse history of contemporary art or the history of money and power?”
Founded in 1985, the Guerrilla Girls banded together as a group of feminist activists utilising humour in art to expose racism, sexism and corruption in cultural institutions. Donning gorilla masks in order to maintain anonymity, the collective has also adopted individual nicknames taken from deceased female artists.
In addition to the current work-in-progress, Whitechapel Gallery will display a selection of pieces from the groups’ extensive catalogue. A public presentation about the groups’ 31 years of activism and a week-long public project will also accompany the exhibited works.
Guerrilla Girls, It’s even worse in Europe. 1986. Courtesy of the Guerrilla Girls
“Is it even worse in Europe?” by the Guerrilla Girls will be on display at London’s Whitechapel Gallery from 1 October until 5 March 2017