Feminist-activist group Guerrilla Girls will open a two-week pop-up exhibition on New York’s Lower East Side next month.
The Guerrilla Girls formed in 1985 in response to the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition “An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture,” marked the opening of the museum’s newly renovated building. Out of the 169 artists shown, only 13 were female.
When protests in front of the museum got little attention, the Guerrilla Girls (founded by 7 women artists) went on a local campaign putting up posters calling out sexism in the art world all over New York City, particularly the artsy neighborhoods of SoHo and the East Village, where many galleries and other art spaces then resided. Donning furry face masks to hide their identities, the group uses humor, the power of text, and research to hit the art world hard (see Artist Talk: Guerrilla Girls).
Thirty years later, the Guerrilla Girls are returning to their old stomping grounds to open a pop-up exhibition at the Abrons Arts Center, handing out stickers “art-shaming billionaire collectors, galleries, and museums,” according to a press release. (See artnet News Top 200 Art Collectors Worldwide for 2015, Part One). They will also make surprise appearances, partnering with other activist collectives to draw attention to “corruption in today’s art world.”
Other important points they make on their statement include: “Things have improved for women and artists of color over the last thirty years, but let’s face it, the celebrity-obsessed art market and the galleries and museums that fuel it, really SUCK! White guys still get most of the big money, and for sure the biggest opportunities.” Choice words.
Their 30th birthday celebration will culminate in a party on May 15 with music, cake, and hopefully some rowdy performances and much-needed finger-pointing.
“Guerrilla Girls: Exhibition of Work 1985-2015” will be on view at Abrons Art Center May 1–17.