Julie Montgarrett and Sarah Mcewan

Julie Montgarrett and Sarah McEwan collaborate as artists or artist-curators to highlight the commonplace issues around gender and lived experience. With nuanced consideration, they challenge the multiple ways Western philosophy and history have shaped our collective consciousness to place hierarchies and binaries on people, places and objects.

Every day, comments are made to women which shape their identity, behaviours, social groups and self worth. Most of these are said with such frequency that we hardly acknowledge them. The phrases run the gamut, addressing behaviour and appearance along with directing our aspirations and goals. Some remind us of the womanly condition we are subjected to (“are you on your period?” ) or label us as weak (“Are you sure you can carry that?”), incapable (“little girl”) objects (“Be a doll and….”) who should aspire to be conservatively poised (“that’s not ladylike”), attractive (“could you put some make-up on?”) homemakers (“When are you going to get married and have kids?”). This work is part of the Cementa Initiative, ‘Correspondence of Imaginary Places’ For a full artist report please visit our blog here