Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990
Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor
The Whitworth is starting the year off strong, with a landmark show about women’s rebellion and creativity. Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 features over 80 artists and collectives whose work protests against inequality, shines a spotlight on aspects of women’s domestic and public lives and showcases art that unequivocally contributed to the women’s liberation movement.
The exhibition is organised by Tate Britain and has previously toured around the country. Its newest edition at the Whitworth has been specially curated with consideration of Manchester’s local history, and is the first free-to-enter iteration of the show.
There are too many outstanding works to mention all of the highlights, but let’s take a look at the breadth of the work on display, for a glimpse of what you can expect.
Possibly the most surprising artwork on show is Bobby Baker’s An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, recreated for Women in Revolt! based on the 1976 original installation. Its feminist message is communicated through a family of life-size, edible figures, made from cake and biscuit, offered to audience members visiting the piece, positioned in rooms wallpapered with newspapers from the 70s.
Mothers may be stopped in their tracks by Maureen Scott’s Mother and Child at Breaking Point (1970), depicting a woman holding a wriggling, crying toddler with a vacant stare, perfectly capturing the duality of experience and moments of exhaustion that parenthood is peppered with.
You’ll also find Helen Chadwick’s powerful yet humorous photographs, and Marlene Smith’s devastating piece portraying her mother right before being shot during a police raid in her own kitchen. Next to her are the words “My mother opens the door at 7am. She is not bulletproof”. Gina Birch’s 3 Minute Scream (1977) is exactly that – a video of the artist furiously screaming for the duration of a Super 8 film cartridge.
Alongside the vast collection of artworks, the exhibition is accompanied by a public engagement programme so keep an eye on The Whitworth’s website for more details.
Women in Revolt! is an expansive show, touching on anything from working conditions, Greenham Common protests and experiences of motherhood to the visibility of Black and South Asian women artists and the AIDS epidemic. Despite all of the works dating back decades, they remain so relevant that many of them could have been made yesterday. There is a lot to take in, in a variety of mediums in approaches, so take your time when you visit.
