WOMEN ARTISTS

OCTOBER 2, 2022
Written by Mia-Nelle Drøschler

One of the conversation I had during my recent exhibition at eks-rummet is still keeping me awake at night; The low representation of women in the artworld and how little representation they have had throughout arthistory.

At a time of crisis one can ask if this is a relevant subject to bring up. Who cares if the orchestra at Titanic only consisted of men as the ship was going down anyways? Nevertheless, we were fooling around in the studio and captured this picture. I am sitting infront of a largescale oilpainting. The picture is an act of support to all my women colleagues who either directly or indirectly are working to improve a better representation for women in the artworld. Either by going into a direct dialogue with the artworld or by continuing working in their studio.

I myself belong to the artists working in my studio rarely going into a debate about this. I am too emotional. I fear I will start crying or yelling if I am faced with the many many many many many many people who still have a strong influence on what is being shown and represented. And the women are still not that many. You can count yourself. Or if you are not bothered I made a quick summary on some of the numbers at leading galleries in October 2022 in Copenhagen. Read below.

One leading gallery owner in Denmark once stated in an interview that it was too difficult working with female artist as they are too emotional… I am really tired that emotions are being seen as a negative aspect in the art (and elsewhere).

To me painting IS about emotions. If I was not connected to this inner aspect of being I would not be able to paint the way I do.

Also, more than once I have been told by influenced and powerfull people in the artworld that things would have gone differentely (meaning better) if I had been a man painting largescale abstract paintings…. A thing I actually have been doing for four years, followed by a decade of figurative paintings.

I fear that they are right because the numbers say it all.

It is not to feel pity on me.

Creating art is a great privilege.

But I sure do hope things will change to the better.

This picture is my support to all of the women who constantly are working to improve the numbers being more balanced in between gender.

Now I will return to my emotional abstract paintings.

The numbers below are from October 2022

WOMEN REPRESENTATION AT A SELECTION OF HIGH END GALLERIES IN COPENHAGEN

Gallery 1; 20 artists / 7 women
Gallery 2; 18 artists / 6 women
Gallery 3; 23 artists / 6 women
Gallery 4; 16 artists / 6 women
Gallery 5; 24 artists / 5 women
Gallery 6; 19 artists / 4 artists
Gallery 7; 23 artists / 4 women
Gallery 8; 18 artists / 4 women
Gallery 9; 17 artists / 3 women