On Woman Hating
Curator Alyssa Alexander discusses the feminist-forward exhibition.
Destinie Adélakun, Daughters of the Diaspora: Masquerading beneath the truth's veil, whispering to the oracles, and soothing time's chroniclers— Gélédé, a dance where gender and fate entwine., 2022. Image courtesy of Project for Empty Space.
When you think of the word “feminism,” what comes to mind? Many think of it as a movement, while others see the word — and idea — in a negative light. For Alyssa Alexander, feminism “goes beyond ensuring gender equality across political and social sectors, but more so recognizing how integral that equality is to our collective liberation. That is at the heart of On Woman Hating, an acknowledgment that no one is free until we are all free.”
As an independent curator, Alexander has always made it a priority to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. In this case, it means confronting the intersections of race, gender, climate change, reproductive rights, and capitalism. On Woman Hating is a multimedia exhibition emphasizing eco-feminist-centric politics and providing a pathway to divine femininity in individual and collective activism. The title and exhibition are inspired by Andrea Dworkin’s book, Woman Hating.
For Alexander’s first exhibition, working with the arts organization Project for Empty Space, On Woman Hating features works by Destinie Adélekun, Ania Freer, Misha Japanwala, Utē Petit, Adrienne Tarver, and V Walton. Each artist confronts themes such as mythological femmes, cultural and religious icons, issues of sexual and physical abuse, body autonomy, and the complex connections between femininity and the natural world in their work.
“I was immediately interested in how these themes would be represented by artists from various backgrounds, both figuratively and abstractly,” Alexander says. “The range of narratives was most important to me when putting the show together. These are issues that affect everyone, not just women, so it's really important that folx see the connections to their (seemingly) different lived experiences — the artists were great at making those connections apparent.”
Image courtesy of Project for Empty Space.
Recently, Alexander was awarded the Feminist FUTURES Fellowship at the 2024 Badass Art Woman Awards presented by PES. This new annual award is a platform for women and non-binary artists who tackle discourse in feminism and intersectionality. The fellowship emerged from a 2017 community-centered program, Feminist Incubators.
“Receiving the Feminist Futures Fellowship means that for the next year, I have the support of PES in developing exhibitions, orchestrating programming, and being immersed in their burgeoning network of arts workers,” Alexander says. “I've made great interpersonal and institutional connections and have a lot planned between now and next June when the fellowship ends. The co-directors Jasmine Wahi and Rebecca Jampol have been amazing co-conspirators and mentors.”
The multifaceted art exhibition allows viewers to immerse themselves completely in each artist’s work. Art pieces span from the floor to the ceiling—including Japanwala’s resin and patinated copper metal coating Hands of a Revolution, Walton’s ceramic, stain, and soil pieces Grounded and Sacred Earth, Tarver’s acrylic and caulking on wire mesh pieces like In Fertile Shadows, and Adélekun’s digital images on canvas, custom rod, and finials, Daughters of the Diaspora series.
“I am deeply grateful to PES for giving me the opportunity to explore a subject that is both vast and incredibly timely,” Alexander says. “Much has been written about the tools used to tame, control, or harm women and how they correlate to the decimation of non-human species and our ongoing climate crisis, so I’m excited to bring these artists’ voices into the conversation in the context of this exhibition.”
On Woman Hating is on view until December 15 at Project for Empty Space at 800 Broad St., Newark, New Jersey.
