The Power of Women’s Pain

Abstract

The Power of Women’s Pain is an exhibition that allows a unique exploration into the repossession of the brutality and power that womanhood’s pain holds when reclaimed by women, presenting negative emotions into artworks which employ a strong indescribable visual message that many women can relate to, without needing to converse through words. The pain illustrated in all of these artworks felt by the woman artist depicts either a mental, or physical pain, or both depending on the specific work discussed. The women’s works shown stand unashamedly tall, wearing pain as a badge of honour and pride rather than one of shame and embarrassment. There is power in reclaiming a negative association as instead a feeling of power and strength, displaying all aspects of it honestly and candidly. The energy of resilience is strong with each and every one of these artists’ works.

This paper is a curatorial exhibition proposal to display a collective of nine artworks by multiple women artists, situated in Tate St Ives between the seasons of late December and late May. It will be open to an audience of selectively only oppressed genders, from all ages. The creation of this grouping of works has taken inspiration and influence from contemporary film, the individual yet grouped life experiences of women as a collective, and prejudiced ideas against women throughout history. The aim in grouping these artworks together is to allow a projection of a visual message which describes and accurately presents both the personal and shared pain that women experience throughout their lives, and the resilience taken to power through those moments and share it publicly and boldly in an artwork, without the influence of men’s ideology in the work’s portrayal. The exhibition showing will therefore be a safe space, with acknowledgement of shared pain and relativity amongst all oppressed genders. A coldswimming workshop was going to be introduced side-by-side the exhibition where Tate St Ives is situated on Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, Cornwall. This idea however dissolved upon further research displaying the negative effects, rather than positive healing effects it would have on some of the women audience members included, prompting additional research into the history of the overlooking and silencing of women in other areas of life.