“Heavy Metal – Women to Watch 2018” at National Museum of Women in the Arts
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The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. presents “Heavy Metal – Women to Watch 2018,” which runs through September 16.The exhibition features contemporary women artists who work with different materials and techniques. They use thes
“Heavy Metal – Women to Watch 2018” at National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. presents “Heavy Metal – Women to Watch 2018,” which runs through September 16.The exhibition features contemporary women artists who work with different materials and techniques. They use these to create artworks such as wall-size installations, jewelry, and reinventions of objects that are already familiar to us. More than 50 works created from silver, copper, pewter, aluminum, and bronze are on view.The show is inspired by the museum’s collection of silverwork by British and Irish women from the 18th and 19th centuries. “It seeks to further disrupt the predominantly masculine narrative that surrounds metal working despite women’s consistence presence in the field for centuries. This narrative is rooted, in part, in the gendered discourse surrounding the traditional distinctions between fine art, design, craft, and decorative art,” the museum writes. “While large-scale bronze and steel sculptures (often made by men) are hailed as ‘fine’ art, subtle and more delicate works in metal, towards which women have been historically encouraged, are frequently labeled as craft or ‘decorative’ art.”“The idea that metalworking is too physically demanding for women to do is pervasive in historical as well as contemporary discourse,” said NMWA Director Susan Fisher Sterling. “The contemporary artists selected for the 2018 installment of ‘Women to Watch’ — and NMWA’s own collection of 18th and 19th-century silver by women — contradict this archaic notion.”This is the fifth installment of the museum’s “Women to Watch” exhibition series, which is presented every two to three years. The series features emerging or underrepresented artists from the states and countries where the museum has outreach committees. 20 participating committees worked with curators in their respective regions to create a shortlist of artists working with metal. From these lists, NMWA curators selected the artists whose work is on view at “Heavy Metal.”According to the museum, “the selection of works on display ranges from sleek minimalist aluminum forms of Rana Begum to the rough-hewn quality of Alejandra Prieto’s iron pyrite sculptures, the featured artists delight in the physical properties of their chosen medium.” Some artists manipulate and fabricate materials while others source their materials from existing or discarded things. The durability of metals also attracts artists — this can be seen in the industrial-looking works of Leila Khoury that reflect threatened or destroyed places in war-torn Syria. Kerianne Quick’s wearable art is also inspired by the effects of war particularly by those objects that are carried by people who are forced to flee.Jewelry also forms a part of the exhibition and the installation includes innovative works ranging from Lola Brooks’ darkly-fascinating pieces to oceanic forms by Cheryl Eve Costa. Nature and forests of Sweden are the inspirations behind Petronella Eriksson’s designs and Susie Ganch uses her training as a jeweler to create large installations that retain the visual delicateness akin to ornamentation.“Heavy Metal – Women to Watch 2018” runs through September 16, 2018, at National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA.For details, visit: https://www.blouinartinfo.com/galleryguide-venues/285229/museum-overviewClick on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the exhibition.http://www.blouinartinfo.comFounder: Louise Blouin Read more
