KATY HESSEL
The Story of Art as it's Still Being Written
Victoria Miro Gallery, London
8 September - 1 October2022
Njideka Akunyili Crosby, María Berrío, Somaya Critchlow, Tracey Emin, Jadé Fadojutimi, Chantal Joffe, Zanele Muholi, Wangechi Mutu, Celia Paul, Deborah Roberts, Khadija Saye, Amy Sherald, Sarah Sze and Flora Yukhnovich.
The Story of Art as it’s Still Being Written is an exhibition based on the final chapter of my book, The Story of Art without Men. This book charts the last 500 years of art history, spanning from the Renaissance to the present day, and attempts to overthrow the canon as we know it. Instead of viewing women as the wife of, the muse of, the daughter of, or the sister of, The Story of Art without Men places women firmly at the centre of the story. It roots them in their social and political context and the time in which they lived.
This final part of the book explores art produced since the millennium. It looks at those working in collage (Wangechi Mutu, Deborah Roberts, María Berrío); interior spaces and personal histories (Njideka Akunyili Crosby); the reinvention of sculpture (Sarah Sze); identity through photography (Zanele Muholi, Khadija Saye); portraiture (Celia Paul, Amy Sherald); figuration (Chantal Joffe); painting that teeters on the threshold between figuration and abstraction (Tracey Emin, Jadé Fadojutimi) and references the Old Masters (Somaya Critchlow, Flora Yukhnovich). This exhibition brings together artists defining the movements and styles that have been explored at the highest level in the past twenty years.
