Women And The Glover Prize

PLEASE CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

There is nothing quite like an ART PRIZE to get the critical juices going and especially when there is big money involved. Evandale's (in Northern Tasmania) Glover Prize is Australia' richest landscape painting award. In 2013 it will be awarded for the 10th time. Interestingly, in the prize's history it has never gone to a women artist. The question hanging in the air is will a women get a go in 2013?

On February 6 the nine previous winners of the prize went on show at the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery (QVMAG)for the first time together in the one place. Very early on the collection won the attention of the media and curious members of the public. It turned out that two of these earlybirds (pardon the pun) were there with a mission in mind it seems. In a kind of a way they were cultural activists of the kind the world saw more of in the 1970s & 1980s.

Its a good bet that they read Germaine Greer's 'The Female Eunuch' in 1970 – in their youth. They probably attended the odd sitin, so these ladies may well, have 'form', or possibly even an ASIO file but you would hardly think so  .... then again.

Without the masks, in a kind of a way these women were a Launceston manifestation of the USA's Guerrilla Girls.– Germain Greer's adolescent mind children in so many way. These American 'girls' are an anonymous group of feminists devoted to fighting against sexism within the visual fine art world internationally. Their Launceston manifestation were not hiding their identity ... we just forgot to ask for it.

The USA 'girls' first interventionist activities and protests took place in New York City in 1985. They came together to protest gender and racial inequality in the art world. Members are known for the gorilla/guerrilla masks they wear to keep their anonymity. It would be enormously surprising if they were to turn up at the Glover Prize – and gorilla masks are in short supply in Launceston too. 

Yes women's work has been hung in the Glover Prize exhibitions and the exhibition's curator is woman but a woman is yet to win the prize. The speculation has begun as to who will take out the prize in 2013 and there will be two women watching that very carefully.

An <ANTIplonker> happened upon these 'sorta' LONNIEgorillaGIRLS taking up the opportunity to curate their very own Glover Prize exhibition from a larder of copies of past entries to the prize over the years. 

When asked what they were doing, with more than a glint in their eye, they announced that they were only including women artists in their exhibition. PAY BACK TIME! 

Above: Mary Dowling we are told - 7/2/13

These feisty ladies said they were artist, and clearly they were women, so its a fair bet that they left home with a mission in mind. We were indiscreet enough to take their photographs and then ask how old they were but not what their names were.  They didn't seem to mind, but it'd be very good to know their names since we are invading their privacy in a kind of way.

Above: NOone has told us yet - 7/2/13

Not only would it be good to know their names,it'd be very good to see some of their art. What's more, have they ever entered the prize and when. The Examiner and any other respectable newspaper would sack us for all this but there you go. We are sorry – but mostly for missing the opportunity to find out more.

These photographs were shot on the run as it were, since its not permitted to take photographs in the QVMAG. They have been edited out in 'photoshop' from these 'hip shots' which accounts for the somewhat shonky quality. Somehow its hard to tell that this is women's work but there you go.
  

Taking all this into account, the second question hanging in the air how come that all those judges over all those years managed to only award the prize to MEN.

The LONNIEgorillaGIRLS probably have a very good point when asking "were are the women". They were hardly out there looking to make a splash and they certainly weren't craving an Andy Warhol 15 minutes.

Its probably not quite PC to call these ladies 'girls' but what the heck!

 GO GIRLS! 

Your very KEWLchicz at a disrespectful 70something!

WATCH THIS SPACE FORE MORE