Configure | Group Exhibition

The Ashburton Art Gallery is a riot of colour with large and small scale sculptures this summer as it exhibits a new Summer show, Configure.

In this group show, Ōtepoti-based artists Kiri Mitchell, Sarah Baird, Kylie Norton, Maggie Covell, Tamara Nicholson, and Michele Beevors explore feminism and feminist artwork. The artists are all connected to the Dunedin School of Art, where Beevors is the head of the Sculpture department, and Mitchell is a lecturer.

Inspired by Womanhouse, an historic art installation and performance space in Los Angeles, California in 1972, the 2021 incarnation of Configure continues to observe social representations and expectations of women via the art of female artists. Particular interest and societal inquiry focuses on body image, identity, and how popular culture has – and continues to – shape our perception of femininity.

Within Configure, the artistic media vary, ranging from sculpture to embroidery to award-winning animation. The artists contribute works in line with the original premise of the 1970s Womanhouse. Each artist examines a different facet of femininity, and utilises a unique lens through which to observe female representation. The final product is an exhibition of overlapping and intertwined artistic practices, with each artist contributing a theme that examines class, race, and gender in relation to feminism.

Configure aims to challenge, critique, and overturn female stereotypes. As with the earlier incarnations of Womanhouse (1972) and Reconfigure (2017), the group of artists rightly question what had changed in terms of female representation. We invite you to view Configure at Ashburton Art Gallery, and formulate an answer to this question yourself.

Exhibition Details:

Configure | Sarah Baird, Michele Beevors, Maggie Covell, Kiri Mitchell, Tamara Nicholson and Kylie Norton

Artist Talks | 8 December | 12pm

Exhibition | 8 November – 21 January 2022