A Worthy Wall

It shouldn’t be news, but – remarkably, outrageously – it is. There shouldn’t be any barriers to break down, but – sadly, typically – there are. Even in the progressive spheres of London’s art world, the launch of an all-female gallery is an event that captures attention, that provokes conversation. But it shouldn’t. If the world was an equal place, Boogie Wall would slip right under the radar. Name three of the world’s bestknown artists. How many of them are women? That’s the problem that Boogie Wall – London’s new all-female art space – is addressing head-on. “I want to break down boundaries formed by gender, race and class,” says its founder and curator Joe, who has staked her career on her principles. “Through art, we can challenge many topics, spark conversation, and create a progressive discourse of equality.” In fairness, 2019 has been a promising year for London’s female art scene, with some truly standout exhibitions: we’ve had Dorothea Tanning at Tate Modern, Lee Krasner’s Living Colour at the Barbican, and Cindy Sherman at National Portrait Gallery.

At Tate Britain, Sixty Years will showcase works by the likes of Mona Hatoum, Sarah Lucas and Bridget Riley until April 2020 – one of the capital’s largest celebrations of female artists since… ever. It’s a step forward, yes, but just a tiny one. According to research by The Guardian, female artists account for just 4% of the National Gallery of Scotland’s collection; 20% of the Whitworth Manchester’s, and 35% of Tate Modern’s. On the international stage, the figures are just as depressing: male artists dominate 83% of Lisson Gallery’s solo shows (London and New York), 88% of Gagosian’s shows (New York), 76% of White Cube’s shows (London and Hong Kong), and 59% of Victoria Miro’s shows (London, Venice, New York). Boogie Wall, then, is a real barrierbreaker. Launching during London’s Frieze international art festival, it will exhibit contemporary pieces produced exclusively by women of all nationalities, backgrounds and artistic disciplines. Choosing to inhabit temporary spaces rather than a traditional permanent gallery, Boogie Wall will open its first show – entitled Notre Dame/Our Lady – on October 4, at a studio in Mayfair.

At an exhibition preview, I was heartened to see that Boogie showcases some truly stellar talent: Notre Dame/Our Lady is an inquisitive, provocative show that progresses the gender conversation through the work of three artists. Swiss-Guinean photographer Namsa Leuba explores the sexualisation of Polynesian women with non-binary models: her images are lush, full of tropical colours and island foliage, but her ‘hula girls’ are strong and striking – with homogeneous, androgynous figures.

They’re exotic and alluring, but not fetishised for their femininity. It’s a joyful moment. So too is The Divine Connection by Delphine Diallo: an image of a model covered in stars, moons and glittering celestial forms – though she is no fawning fairytale princess. Her eyes are dark, her stance firmly rooted, and her gaze defiant. Diallo, a French-Senegalese photographer and visual artist, was once a protégé of Peter Beard – whose photographs of Africa brought him great fame in the 1960s. Viewed through modern eyes, Beard’s ouvre contains some cringeworthy moments: think bare-breasted models draped over African wildlife, or posing provocatively beside acacia trees. One feels like high-fiving Diallo for usurping the tropes of her mentor. “It’s so important to build a gallery like Boogie Wall – a supportive, ground-breaking space for female artists, with a new kind of vision for those who have been dismissed by the mainstream art world,” says Diallo, who as well as building an impressive art portfolio has shot editorial assignments for Vogue, The New York Times, The New Yorker and VICE. Hers is certainly a name to watch The pieces by Swedish painter Alice Herbst, the final artist in Boogie Wall’s inaugural trio, are – in my opinion – harder to decipher. The show’s programme notes say her sketches and paintings of glamorous vintagestyle scenes ‘channel Alfred Hitchcock and Lucian Freud,’ but I couldn’t quite fathom Herbst’s intentions. Why, I ask Joe, is now the right time to launch Boogie Wall? “Male artists still have more visibility in the art world and are largely prioritised over female artists,” she says.

Those Guardian figures spring to mind. “Female art exhibitions are often used as a marketing tactic within institutions, rather than being seen as a vital, necessary part of their exhibition programmes,” she continues. “This is something that has to stop.” I’m not sure I agree that London’s female-led exhibitions are simply marketing ploys – for the most part, they’re enlightening, inspiring, and have enjoyed great critical acclaim – but positive discrimination is, of course, another hazard of our times. “Something is going wrong in our society,” Joe continues.

“Women’s place in the arts often becomes a race, gender or class issue. Boogie Wall is all about making the artists and their work more visible, and it’s crucial to create more of these spaces.” Having spent much of her career in luxury fashion and interior design in Switzerland, Joe has a razor-sharp eye for aesthetics – and business. She specialised in private jet and yacht design: not a conventional path to curatorship perhaps, but perhaps that’s what the gallery scene needs right now. “In the art world, gender disparity is pronounced in all aspects of the market that define the career of an artist, such as securing commercial representation or having solo exhibitions,” she says.

“It is essential to reduce this disparity and support all artists – no matter what their gender.” Bravo to that. Boogie Wall’s inaugural exhibition, Notre Dame/Our Lady, will open on October 4. 50 Brook Street, Mayfair. boogie-wall.com