THE UPCOMING ALL-FEMALE SCULPTURE EXHIBITION AT SAATCHI GALLERY ASKS, IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
LONDON, UK – As part of its Season of Sculpture, Saatchi Gallery announces an upcoming co-headline Winter exhibition, If Not Now, When? The exhibition will feature 29 remarkable female sculptors, celebrating their contributions to the world of art from the 1960s to now.
This exhibition is the outcome of a two-year research project, Hepworth’s Progeny. The research was funded by a donation from the Holberg Prize awarded to Griselda Pollock in 2020 for her work in feminist studies in the visual arts and to foster extended research in this field. The project was guided by an advisory board including, art historian Griselda Pollock and sculptor Lorna Green, The Hepworth Wakefield’s curator Eleanor Clayton, sculptors Sokari Douglas Camp and Jill McKnight, and independent art Historian Dr. Alice Correia. The exhibition was co-curated by Dr Anna Douglas and Dr Kerry Harker.
The exhibition showcases renowned sculptors like Permindar Kaur, Katrina Cowling, Phyllida Barlow, Helen Chadwick, Kim Lim and Cornelia Parker, promoting diverse artistic interactions and practices. If Not Now, When? not only underscores sculptors’ resilience in male-dominated spheres but also celebrates women’s narratives and creativity.
Among the captivating works on display, will be Chadwick’s early masterpiece “In the Kitchen” from 1977, crafted during her MA studies, and Parker’s thought-provoking “Endless Coffee” from 2022. The exhibition will also feature works by artists who were frequently exhibited in the 1980s but whose art is now less commonly seen, highlighting the unique challenges many women artists face in their careers.
Divided into three chapters, the exhibition explores time as an everyday lived experience marked by the evolving cycles directly affecting women.
The first chapter, Women’s Time celebrates the unique feminine value as life givers, preservers, and carers of others. This chapter additionally encourages unrestricted conversations, highlighting real-world tensions and the idealisation of social roles inhabited by women.
Chapter two, Tumbling Through Time is preoccupied with the materiality and immediate urgency of issues such as climate change and the growing sense that time is of the essence. This chapter includes sculptures made from various recycled materials, including gilded fruit, neon, fabricated metal, and piano wire.
The final chapter, The Time is Now, addresses distinct moments in history and by bringing the works together into one space will present visitors with the reality of reoccurring injustices and discrimination that have been addressed by each artist as they created their work. Ultimately, however, the overarching theme is hope, created through the representation and visibility of artists critiquing cultural expectations of femininity and celebrating the gendered experience through their own unique views.
Exhibiting Artists
Phyllida Barlow, Glenys Barton, Shirley Cameron, Annie Cattrell, Helen Chadwick, Lorraine Clarke, Katrina Cowling, Deborah Duffin, Carol Farrow, Sheila Gaffney, Rose Garrard, Lorna Green, Mandy Havers, Bridget Heriz, Michele Howarth, Permindar Kaur, Rosie Leventon, Lilane Lijn, Kim Lim, Renate Meyer, Cornelia Parker, Christine Kowal Post, Victoria Rance, Freddie Robins, Veronica Ryan, Amy Stephens, Pamela Storey, Shelagh Wakely, Lois Williams
Dr Kerry Harker, exhibition curator and researcher: “We are delighted that If Not Now, When? is touring to the Saatchi Gallery, now with the inclusion of additional artworks. Visitors will encounter artists whose works have been seen rarely, artworks uncovered from archives, as well as art by emerging artists, all presented in a constellation of connections threaded through our theme of time. The exhibition builds on the feminist project Hepworth’s Progeny. Drawing on the life experiences of over 320 sculptor women, the research surfaced new narratives regarding the evolution of sculpture, and women’s creative lives, ambitions and careers post-war. It is gratifying that these important discussions will continue with audiences in London.”
As part of a Season of Sculpture, Saatchi Gallery will be presenting Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Boundless at the same time as If Not Now, When? with joint tickets made available to visitors online & ticket upgrades available at front of house. Please contact eleanor@saatchigallery.com for more information.