The Binder of Women collective presents their first exhibition in Bristol at 17 Midland Road - opening Thursday 15th May 6-9pm
The concept of ‘Axis’ has long been integral to art, in terms of a metaphor for movement and perspective or as compositional balance. The six artists in this exhibition present their own distinct ways of engaging with the idea – from the central axis points of the human experience to paintings where axis functions as a symbolic bridge between the two distinct but interconnected worlds of night & day, and paintings that consider and manipulate the axis in ways that defy conventional compositions. The result is an exhibition that invites contemplation of both the visible and invisible forces that guide our understanding of the world around us.The Binder of Women collective currently consists of artists working across the UK and USA. This exhibition brings together six artists: Eve Ackroyd, Nettle Grellier, Catherine Knight, Pia Pack, Karolina Ptaszkowska & Myrna Quiñonez. Binder of Women is an independent, artist-led platform for contemporary artists to directly share and sell their work. This is a unified move to empower female artists, expand their reach, broach the topic of equality and consent in the art world, and take action to grow the number of works by female identifying artists in contemporary art collections. Working independently and alongside supportive collaborations. Conceptualised in Los Angeles in 2017 by Hilary Pecis and brought to London in 2022 by Pia Pack.
The name derives from the 2012 US Presidential Debate between Mitt Romney & Barack Obama. When discussing pay equity, Romney boasted that he utilised “binders full of women” to hire qualified female candidates. The phrase instead alienated women voters and became a viral meme. Disparities in gender representation and pay is a long standing issue in the art world. Binder of Women seek to challenge historical gender barriers through supportive collaboration that creates a platform for Contemporary Female-identifying artists to directly share their work with wider audiences.
