Why are women still marginalised by the art world? Does gender bring something different to the work itself, or is it just politics? These are some of the key questions that form the foundations of the exhibition Women Make Sculpture at Pangolin London.
Despite the huge success of a handful of sculptors such as Barbara Hepworth, Elisabeth Frink and Louise Bourgeois, women still find themselves under-represented in major ‘blockbuster’ shows. A prime example is the Royal Academy’s current exhibition Modern British Sculpture which has received so much criticsm for leaving out established male sculptors such as Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor. But what about the women? Is such a meagre selection really representative of the current state of British sculpture? Pangolin London thinks not.
Coinciding with the centenary year of International Women’s Day, Pangolin London celebrates female achievement in sculpture with the exhibition Women Make Sculpture, an all female show highlighting the diversity and creativity of women sculptors today.
The exhibition brings into the spotlight a number of established female artists including Dorothy Cross, Ann Christopher and Alison Wilding as well as emerging names such as Polly Morgan, Abigail Fallis, Rose Gibbs and Briony Marshall.
Women Make Sculpture provides an opportunity to focus on a selection of sculpture inspired by topical issues that concern women today such as war, mental health, sex, childbirth and science. Director of Pangolin London, Polly Bielecka, notes: “The exhibition is not intended to tackle gender superiority; rather it hopes to question whether female artists bring something different to contemporary British sculpture.”
The exhibition includes an eclectic mix of work in a variety of media ranging from Almuth Tebbenhoff’s powerful yet intricate steel wall pieces to Polly Morgan’s delicate and fragile taxidermy constructions, and from Deborah van der Beek’s emotive horse head Collateral made from the detritus of war to Rose Gibbs’ controversial Mountain of figures and penises violently expelling bodily fluids.
