Violence against women is a ‘contemporary, circular issue’ but is largely ignored by the UK’s museum sector, argues Charlotte Jansen.
In March, in the Jubilee Room of the UK’s Houses of Parliament, the British artist Wilma Woolf installed a series of white plates on a glass table. Each was inscribed with the names of the 1,425 women in the UK who, between 2009 and 2018, were murdered by men. Woolf also listed the cause of their death and their relationship to their murderer. “Several members of parliament were disbelieving and asked me to confirm they were real women,” Woolf says.
Many artists working in the UK, like Woolf, are creating significant and high-profile work on the subject of violence against women, yet leading institutions are failing to respond proportionately to the scale of the issue in exhibitions, programming and acquisitions.
“Museums have a responsibility to change this,” Woolf says. “They will have staff members and visitors who are both victims and perpetrators of this crime. As an employer, what are they doing? As an institution, how are they helping?”...Keep reading on The Art Newspaper.
In March, in the Jubilee Room of the UK’s Houses of Parliament, the British artist Wilma Woolf installed a series of white plates on a glass table. Each was inscribed with the names of the 1,425 women in the UK who, between 2009 and 2018, were murdered by men. Woolf also listed the cause of their death and their relationship to their murderer. “Several members of parliament were disbelieving and asked me to confirm they were real women,” Woolf says.
Many artists working in the UK, like Woolf, are creating significant and high-profile work on the subject of violence against women, yet leading institutions are failing to respond proportionately to the scale of the issue in exhibitions, programming and acquisitions.
“Museums have a responsibility to change this,” Woolf says. “They will have staff members and visitors who are both victims and perpetrators of this crime. As an employer, what are they doing? As an institution, how are they helping?”...Keep reading on The Art Newspaper.