Women In Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990

Five Exhibitions In London To See In November 2023
Jill Posener, Fiat Ad, London, 1979, reprinted 2023. Courtesy of the artist

Women In Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990
8 November 2023 – 7 April 2024
Tate Britain
Millbank
London SW1P 4RG

Women In Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 is the first exhibition of its kind—a major survey featuring the work of over 100 women artists in the UK. It delves into how these women formed networks and employed radical ideas and rebellious methods to make an invaluable contribution to British culture. Their creative practices became a means of forging women’s liberation amid a backdrop of significant social, economic, and political change.

Women In Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990
Jill Westwood, Potent Female, 1983. Courtesy Dr Jill Westwood

Women in Revolt! brings together a wide variety of mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, film and photography. It explores and reflects on issues and events such as: the British Women’s Liberation movement, the fight for legal changes impacting women, maternal and domestic experiences, Punk and independent music, Greenham Common and the peace movement, the visibility of Black and South Asian Women Artists, Section 28 and the AIDs pandemic.

The show celebrates the work and lived experiences of a hugely diverse group of women. Many who, frequently working outside mainstream art institutions, have largely been left out of artistic narratives. Women in Revolt! presents many of these works for the first time since the 70s.

Women In Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990
Lubaina Himid, The Carrot Piece, 1985.
© Lubaina Himid, courtesy the artist and Hollybush Gardens,
London

This exhibition platforms a productive, politically engaged set of communities, who changed the face of British culture and paved the way for future generations of artists.

Content guidance: Artists in this exhibition address a range of social issues – from gender and race-based discrimination to maternal and domestic experiences. The exhibition includes references to sexual content, child loss, abortion, violence, explicit and racist language.

Women In Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 opens on 8th November 2023 until 7th April 2024 at Tate Britain

©2023 Tate