7 Inspiring Exhibitions By Female Artists To Visit This Spring
From canvases inspired by the wilds of Guatemala to a punk icon’s dream-like technicolour collages, these are the latest shows by women artists to add to your diary now.
Vivian Suter1/7‘Vivien Suter: Tintin’s Sofa’ at Camden Arts Centre
Vivien Suter’s large, unstretched canvases are an ode to the natural habitat surrounding her lakeside studio in Guatemala – hung outdoors to absorb traces of the landscape, from falling leaves to debris left by passing animals. Within the airy rooms of the Camden Arts Centre, the finished works are presented as an immersive canopy that blurs the boundaries between nature and civilisation, culture and environment. Vivid and life-affirming.
At the Camden Arts Centre until 5 April
Zanele Muholi2/7‘Zanele Muholi’ at Tate Modern
South African artist Zanele Muholi aims to combat intolerance, prejudice and violence through their radiant portraits of members of the black LGBTQI+ community – helping to unravel entrenched heteronormative, patriarchal systems of representation in the process. Their mid-career retrospective at Tate Modern features works from the early 2000s onwards, including a number of their boldly intimate self-portraits.
At Tate Modern from 29 April until 18 September
Linder3/7‘Linderism’ at Kettle’s Yard
Liverpool-born punk icon, artist and body builder Linder takes over the sanctuary of Kettle’s Yard with her kaleidoscopic output this spring. The wide-reaching solo exhibition stretches over the house and gallery and includes both a series of installations that engage all five senses, and a specially developed range of products inspired by Kettle’s Yard’s founder Helen Ede.
At Kettle’s Yard until 26 April
Diane Simpson4/7‘Diane Simpson: Sculpture, Drawing, Prints’ at Nottingham Contemporary
Meticulously handcrafted from fibreboard and plywood, Chicago-based artist Diane Simpson’s works are inspired by domestic buildings, industrial structures, and – critically – the people who inhabit them. At Nottingham Contemporary, four decades of Simpson’s exacting process is uncovered, from intricate preparatory drawings to completed freestanding sculptures, including her epic Samurai series (1981-1982).
At Nottingham Contemporary until 3 May
Johanna Unzueta5/7‘Johanna Unzueta: Tools for Life’ at Modern Art Oxford
“My mum always said [that] I learned to weave and knit before I learned to read and write,” Chilean artist Johanna Unzueta once said. “Hands are tools for me.” If craft is the seed of Unzueta’s practice, then industry, mechanics and geometry are its fertilising rains. At Modern Art Oxford, her large-scale sculptures are juxtaposed with delicate textiles and geometric drawings inspired by patterns from nature.
At Modern Art Oxford until 10 May
Toyin Ojih Odutola6/7‘Toyin Ojih Odutola: A Countervailing Theory’ at The Barbican
For her first UK exhibition, Nigerian-American artist Toyin Ojih Odutola presents a colossal graphic novel within the Barbican Curve set to a Peter Adjaye soundscape. Done entirely in pastels and charcoal and featuring characters from both ancient history and popular culture, it’s the perfect introduction to the work of Zadie Smith’s favourite contemporary artist.
At The Curve from 26 March to 26 July
%2C%25202011%2C%2520%25C2%25A9%2520The%2520aritst.%2520Courtesy%2520Yorkshire%2520Sculpture%2520Park.jpg)
Anthea Hamilton7/7‘Breaking The Mould: Sculpture By Women Since 1945’ at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Featuring leading post-war British artists such as Elisabeth Frink, Kim Lim, Cornelia Parker, Rachel Whiteread and Anthea Hamilton, this ambitious survey at the YSP is based around the motto, “If she can see it, she can be it.” Its core goal? To inspire future generations of female creatives and prevent ground-breaking works from slipping out of view.
At Yorkshire Sculpture Park from 4 April until 14 June
%2C%25202011%2C%2520%25C2%25A9%2520The%2520aritst.%2520Courtesy%2520Yorkshire%2520Sculpture%2520Park.jpg)
