Underground Muse: From Muse to Artist
Featuring Artist: Sofia Xenia Economou, Evie Mae Jacobs, Lydia Smith, Lotty Adam, Lydia Higton
17th September, 2024 -22nd September, 2024
Masion Pan
6-11 Suffolk St
London SW1Y 4HG
The artist collective Fé is thrilled to present their inaugural exhibition, Underground Muse: From Muse to Artist. The exhibition features five artist who use a range of media, including painting, sculpture, drawings, and digital artworks, to respond to the theme ‘moving from muse to artist’. Underground Muse explores how traditionally in art history women existed more frequently as a muse oppose to an artist, the challenges female-identifying artists continue to face today, and celebrates female collaboration and time shared together over the past year through life drawing, studio visits, critiques, dinners, and artist retreats.
Historically, the muse has been presented as a passive model possessed by a great male artist. Initially conceptualised as an ancient Greek goddess who inspired science, literature, and the arts, the muse is now more widely known as an idealised and attractive young woman who provides inspiration and allure. The exhibition tackles the problematic tradition where male artists could define the female muse, limiting their role to sheer inspiration. By reclaiming the original meaning of the muse, this exhibition scopes out a space for female artists to proclaim their narratives and share their lived experiences.
17.5 x 20.5 cm
The exhibition will be held at Maison Pan, an underground gallery and studio space that was once part of the vaults of the National Gallery. This location sits beneath one of the world’s most famous art collections, which includes over 2,300 paintings, but only 27 by female artists. While the National Gallery mainly represents male perspective on history, this exhibition will feature five female-identifying artists who present their own views and interpretations of the world and how they exist within it.
Underground Muse marks the collective’s first exhibition and is a part of the initiative’s research-led programme to start conversations on the importance of female collaboration and how we can best support contemporary female artists. The exhibition programme will also include an in conversation between art world professionals from Artsy and Sotheby’s who will explore the challenges female-identifying artist face today.
Underground Muse: From Muse to Artist has been curated and produced by Lydia Higton & Lydia Smith, in collaboration with the digital gallery Artesphere, where an online extended exhibition, also featuring digital sculptures, will be hosted in conjunction with the physical exhibition.
@lydiahigton
@lydiasmithartist
@lottyadamart
@eviemaejacobs
@sofia.noctua
Underground Muse: From Muse to Artist opens on the 17th of September, 2024 until the 22nd of September, 2024 at Masion Pan
©2024 Fé
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