GWA Newsletter: October

The GWA podcast is back – plus, all the art you need to see, read, and listen to this month!

Oct 10, 2024

Dear Readers!

I’m back with my monthly bulletin of things I’ve been enjoying, and think you might like too. But first, some updates…

The Great Women Artists Podcast is back!

To kick off Season 12, we look at the life and work of Tove Jansson (1914-2001), as told by her niece, Sophia Jansson. Tove was a legendary writer, painter, cartoonist, novelist, children’s book author, and creator of the Moomins. Sophia on what her aunt Tove taught her:

“Tove teaches you to see and observe, because the smallest object, the smallest creature, can be full of life and full of things to tell. She was a master of seeing the importance of detail, while at the same time able to put it into a larger context, and somehow connect the small with the big, the invisible with the visible.” Listen here.

This week, I spoke to Nadya Tolokonnikova: the legendary artist and activist who founded Pussy Riot. It was a very powerful conversation.

“We encourage ourselves to have this child like naivety and kindness. I think it's important to try to keep it even though the world wants to turn you into a rock, and it doesn't always work. When I was in my labor camp, I did turn into a rock for a second. But then, through rituals, through art, community, just making things, I made one step at a time.” Listen.

Suit Yourself! My piece for Elle Magazine

Elle asked me to write about my take on the school uniform: a go-to garment that I like for it’s ability to turn the suit on its head. In stores now:

“There’s something liberating about being a woman and wearing a suit … Wearing a ‘school uniform’, as someone who no longer attends school, you feel like you’re still learning, but don’t have to comply with the rules. It is to get rid of the pressures, stereotypes and expectations, reclaim traditions, and rip up the canon.”

In The Guardian

Last week, I looked at Mary Husted and the Guatemalan ‘Artivism’ collective, Mujeres con Capacidad Sololá (“Women With Ability”), to think about how art can be a tool to tell stories that are so often hidden from view. You can read it here.

“Art – looking at it or making it yourself – is a tool to tell stories that are so often hidden from view. Whether it is for yourself, your community or a gallery wall, the process of making art can be a form of empowerment … In a world that can silence women, it is important that we feel confident to tell our stories…”

My Top Picks for Frieze London

In London for Frieze? Don’t miss my top booths at the fair (via Substack), as well as my offsite picks for Harper’s Bazaar (where I am very excitingly now a Contributing Editor!). Read now.

5 Things we can learn from Louise Bourgeois

I’ve been thinking about what we can learn from the great Bourgeois. Last week, I compiled some of her greatest lessons (via Substack):

“Every day you have to abandon your past or accept it, and then, if you cannot accept it, you become a sculptor.” Read on for more.

Dates for your diary:

Friday 11 October, 6.30pm: I will be in conversation with Flora Yukhnovich and Xavier Bray at The Wallace Collection (+ don’t miss Flora’s show!). Tickets here.

Thursday 24 October, 6.30pm: I am speaking at Waterstones Piccadilly. Come join!

Monday 4 November, 7pm: I will be interviewing Lynn Barber on her book A Little Art Education at Hatchards Piccadilly. Tickets here.

(PS. Mark Wednesday 27 November, 6–8pm, in your diaries for another instalment of the Hatchards Christmas Evening. We have some very special guests planned. All to be announced soon…)

And now for this month’s top cultural picks: from a new Sally Rooney novel to a Yayoi Kusama Infinity Room. Enjoy! Xoxo Katy

7 Great Things To Read

Daisy Dunn: The Missing Thread
Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad (The White Pube): Poor Artists
Sally Rooney: Intermezzo
Leo Robson on The wrongness of Boris Johnson (via the New Statesman)

To get us in the mood for Halloween…

Lyndal Roper: The Witch in the Western Imagination
Charles Zika: The Appearance of Witchcraft
Remedios Varo: Science Fictions

10 Great Shows to see in the UK

Vanessa Bell at MK Gallery - and check out the workshops running alongside the show, from lino printing to hand-painting ceramics!
Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum at The Barbican
Turner Prize at Tate Britain
Marlene Dumas at Frith Street Gallery
Paula Rego and Goya at Holburne Museum, Bath
Barbara Walker at The Whitworth
Lygia Clark and Sonia Boyce at Whitechapel Gallery
Yayoi Kusama at Victoria Miro
Medieval Women at The British Library
Barbara Hammer at Champ Lacombe