“For the world to pretend that women are equal would be a lie, but I think times are changing very fast. Somebody like Malala clearly proves that,” riffs all-female art collective World Wide Women founder Anouska Beckwith. Started in 2012, inspired by feminist powerhouse Frida Kahlo, Beckwith sought to start an art collective that didn’t descrimate against location, with what started as a number of eight now totals 35 women dotted across the globe – hence the name.
“I wanted it to be somewhere that women could come to meet like-minded women who are not against men. I saw that there were other female groups – quite anti-men – and I thought to myself that’s not really a very positive message to be sending. A lot of the women [in WWW] are married, have children and boyfriends.” Instead, the artist fused the themes of femininity, nature and positivity into the collective’s framework. “It was just about empowering women through working and coming together to create something beautiful,” explains Beckwith, talking to us ahead of the group’s London exhibition Ritual, which will open at Camden’s Cob Gallery later this week.
“I saw that there were other female groups – quite anti-men – and I thought to myself that’s not really a very positive message to be sending” – Anouska Beckwith
The show will feature artwork from fashion photographer Michaela Meadows, American artists Amanda Charchian and Shae DeTar, filmmaker and fine artist Maximilla Lukacs, as well as Beckwith herself. Speaking on the forthcoming show’s theme, curated by bright young thing, 25-year old curator and New York gallerist Andi Potamkin, Beckwith says; “We chose Ritual because it’s something that everyone can identify with, whether it’s from the mundane of brushing your hair everyday to the esoteric. A Ritual can almost become an obsessive compulsive disorder. We wanted it to be something that was from a woman’s perspective”. Complete with immersive, multi sensory experiences, Ritual will lead viewers into an array of scents and sounds as film and live musical performances fill the space around them.
Ritual will show at The Cob Gallery in Camden from 18 December - 21 December. For more information, click here
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