Interpretations of Femininity

Women Reflecting Women serves as a metaphorical mirror for the diverse manifestations of the female experience. Within the portrait genre, there are countless representations of women, created by both male and female artists. However, throughout history, women's portraits have largely been influenced by societal norms, cultural ideals, and artistic conventions – with women often being portrayed as muses or objects of beauty, to be interpreted through the male gaze.

The representation of women by women, on the other hand, opens up exciting, complex contexts. Born out of decades of intense discourse about the interpretation of the feminine in art history – as well as the historically significant contributions of female artists ranging from Artemisia Gentileschi and Frida Kahlo to Cindy Sherman – the group exhibition does not aim to challenge existing representations; instead, it searches for personal narratives within the evolving genre of women’s portraiture across different media.

Curated by Juli Cho Bailer and Micaela Giovannotti, Women Reflecting Women highlights the multifaceted ways in which women artists around the globe employ portraiture as a powerful medium for self-expression, introspection, and social commentary.  The selection features works by Shirin Abedinirad (Iran), Rania Matar (Lebanon / USA), Seonmee Moon (South Korea), Dana Robinson (USA), Meekyoung Shin (South Korea/UK) and Charlie Stein (Germany).