Opening today- A Real Woman -Europe’s Biggest Public Exhibition launched on 6,000 billboards across the UK, the 11 artworks for The Gallery, Season 4 present a multiplicity of bold responses to the theme A Real Woman, including gender identity, health disparity and violence against women.
Curated by Bakul Patki, the exhibition features two directly commissioned works and nine artworks selected from almost 900 open-call submissions. The 12 exhibiting artists for A Real Woman are Sin Wai Kin, Joanna Hogg & Nick Turvey (direct commissions), Fanny Beckman, Raven Gough, Rachael House, Aljohora Jeje, Eri Maeda, Cristiana Nogueira, Georgie Wileman, Frances Willoughby, and Dawn Woolley.
When approaching the subject ‘A Real Woman’, I felt it crucial that this was not a question to be answered, but rather a statement to be considered. There is no single or simple definition of a woman. I hope the different perspectives presented by our artists will inspire viewers to consider the plurality of womanhood, and thereby encourage understanding and empathy towards those whose lives are shaped differently from their own.
Bakul Patki
Launched in 2022 and conceived by leading UK arts producer Artichoke together with public artist and Creative Director, Martin Firrell, The Gallery is a major art initiative which aims to create a new kind of cultural institution without walls, giving artists a unique platform and opportunity to produce work for the public realm. With a bold and fearless programme accessible to all, The Gallery challenges traditional models of viewing art – bringing it to places where people live, work and travel. Artworks from the previous three seasons were viewed over 200 million times by people across the UK.
Helen Marriage, CEO and Creative Director of Artichoke, said:
I love The Gallery. Of all of Artichoke’s projects, it’s the one that keeps evolving and offering opportunities for artists to speak directly to people across our four nations. With its topical themes and innovative partnership with the Out-of-Home industry, it’s become the largest exhibition space in the UK. Fearless, borderless and with an absolute commitment to free speech, I hope it’s a project that lasts for decades to come
Martin Firrell, Creative Director of The Gallery said:
The 11 artworks in Season 4 constitute a nuanced narrative about what it may or may not mean to be ‘a real woman’. The power of the billboard is its ubiquity, showing these thought-provoking ideas to everyone, everywhere
A Real Woman: now live on a street near you! Look out for the 11 artworks on thousands of outdoor billboards and digital screens across the four nations of the UK from 15th July – 12th August 2024. Curated by Bakul Patki.
The Gallery’s Season 4 selected artworks will become part of its constantly expanding permanent collection, accessible to all through The Gallery’s website and digital archive.
Season 4 of The Gallery is presented in partnership with the Out-of-Home advertising industry, including major partners Clear Channel, JCDecaux and Alight Media, and supported by Mass Media, KBH Group, Redbus Media, BUILD HOLLYWOOD and Outsmart.
