Exhibition shines a light on our female artists

An exhibition of works by Australian female artists has opened at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. Know My Name: Australian Women Artists is an initiative of the National Gallery of Australia and tells a new story of Australian art; looking at moments in which women created new forms of art and cultural commentary, it highlights creative and intellectual relationships between artists across time.

“Know My Name celebrates the work of all female artists with an aim to enhance understanding of their contribution to Australia’s cultural life,” the NGA said. “This initiative is a national program of exhibitions, commissions, education programs, partnerships and creative collaborations that celebrates the diversity and creativity of Australian female artists throughout history to the present day.

“The gallery acknowledges that only 25 per cent of its Australian art collection and 33 per cent of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection is by women artists. In 2019 the gallery committed to change this, establishing its first Guiding Principles for Gender Equity in collection development, programming and organisational structures.

“Know My Name is also an invitation to the Australian cultural sector and to communities more broadly to recognise and highlight the work of women across diverse creative practices. The Know My Name initiative joins the global movement to increase representation of women artists. It builds on the work of groups supporting gender equity across the arts, including The Countess Report, Sheila Foundation and the #5WomenArtists campaign by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.

“Celebrate women artists – see their art, hear their stories, and know their names.”

Know My Name is on at MPRG until February 18.