Women’s History Month 2023

This March BPS celebrates Women’s History month with a series of exhibitions, workshops and live art events.

“You can’t polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter”

‘Is It Funny Yet?’ is a collection of satirical, autobiographical, pieces exploring sexual harassment. Expect drag mug shots, bejazzling and a voyeuristic video installation.

Content Warning: This exhibition explores violence towards women 

Georgie Earnshaw is a multimedia artist based in East London, working across photography, moving image and performance. With an interest in camp sensibility, her work is often found in the intersection between politics and dark humour. Interested in sexual politics, gender performance and absurdity, she aims to use her work to provoke, destroy and amuse.

Georgie initially trained in Contemporary Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she was first introduced to Performance Art. She is now completing a Masters at Central Saint Martins where she continues to explore what performance can be. Currently she is investigating the medium of Self-Portraiture, exploring the form’s performative potential. This makes up the basis of this exhibition, using the self and autobiographical material to form the narrative of her work.

Not The Minor Character

Friday 3 March | 6-9pm

A one-day exhibition by Tabitha Rose & Jess Routley

Not The Minor Character explores ideas around ambiguous female imagination and the perceived threat it poses. These works coincide in a third narrative space that expands beyond the boundaries of the canvas. This space is liminal, and here we can speculate upon the subject’s introspective dialogue, and also meet our own projected ideas. One artist contemplates the potentiality of revenge, and the other a dreamlike depth of experience within mundanity. They create a lacuna that is simultaneously free from the male gaze and a reaction to it. These works are an invitation to unsaid things; imagined, confessed, desired, remembered, or ignored. 

Artist and designer Ellie (aka, El Bras) joins Molly and Sian from Connected Against Sexual Violence for an embroidery and quilt-making workshop at Bermondsey Project Space.

With Ellie’s guidance participants will learn how to embroider patterns and patches to produce a large quilt incorporating the whole groups designs. There will also be space for people to reflect and make artwork individually.

All materials will be provided but if you have any fabrics that you would like to embroider or add to the quilt then please bring these along

The workshop will run from 3-6pm and will be followed by drinks and a chance to chat and meet people.

This afternoon will be an opportunity for anyone affected by sexual violence to come along and connect through creativity. There is no pressure to share anything about your experiences that you do not want to in these workshops, the main goal is just to create a space where people can feel supported.

If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to contact us.

Email: connectedagainstsexualviolence@gmail.com

Instagram: connectedagainstsexualviolence

This workshop will be run by Connected Against Sexual Violence. This collective is about creating a network between those who have experienced Sexual violence, assault or harassment. This is a place where we can build connections with those who have had similar experiences whilst being in a creative space. We think it is important to create these networks of support. Also, that we respect each other and know that all our experiences, triggers and processes after Sexual Violence may be different. Please be mindful of this during our workshops and respect that each other’s boundaries may differ when talking about sexual violence. We aim for our workshops to be a warm and supportive environment. However, if you feel overwhelmed or triggered during our workshops, please let us know. Our organisers Sian and Molly will be present throughout the day for anyone that needs us.

Art Lets you Speak

Thursday 9 March | 6 – 8 pm

This International Women’s Day, Skaped is excited to collaborate with THE HERITAGE & HONOUR COLLECTION for a Art / Creative Writing Workshop

Want to learn more about Black British Women in History? Are you interested in participating in a workshop that leads you through an exploration of Black British Women in History using Artivism & Creative Writing?

Then THIS is for YOU!

About the Event:

COME ALONG ON THURSDAY 9th of MARCH, 6-8 PM

Join us and LEARN more about Black British History from 1500-1999

You will learn more about UNHEARD Black Women in History, leading to an empowering time of Artivism & Creative writing. A time to share, discuss, learn, build our confidence and be inspired and empowered by these historical women.

You’ll have a chance to participate in a short and sweet artivism & creative writing workshop led by The Heritage & Honour Collection Team.

Schedule:

6:00 pm: Arrival & networking.

6:30pm: Introduction / Workshop Begins

7:15pm: Artivism & Creative Writing

7:45pm: A time to share what we’ve created (Not compulsory)

8:00pm: Wrap-Up / Network

This workshop is open to everyone aged 16+, but we do encourage and prioritise spaces for womxn.

We can’t wait to meet you and get creative!

Salon Noir | Stephanie Griffiths

Friday 10 March 6.30 – 9 pm

Talk from BAFTA award Winning Animation Director Stephanie Griffiths.

Cheer Up Luv x Bee Illustrates

HYSTERICAL

14 – 25 March 2023

Exhibition, Workshops, talks and Events

This Women’s History Month Eliza Hatch and Bee Illustrates present the second instalment of their group show, Hysterical. After it’s successful debut in 2022, the charity group exhibition is back to celebrate the work of marginalised people who use their creative practice as a form of protest.

Meet the curators: Eliza Hatch (She/Her) is a photographer, activist, curator, speaker and founder of Cheer Up Luv, a photo series and platform dedicated to retelling stories of sexual harassment. Bee Illustrates (They/Them) is a queer, non-binary, illustrator and curator who has been recently longlisted for the World Illustration Awards. They use their creative practice to educate and inform on a range of topics including feminism, mental health and queerness.

Hysterical: A Celebration of Subversive Art will bring together a group of interdisciplinary artists who identify as women or marginalised genders at Bermondsey Project Space Gallery in March 2023.

Exhibiting artists include; Ciara Mohan, Maggie Williams, Aashfaria Anwar (She/Her), Abby Richard (She/Her), Simone Yasmin (She/Her), Frannie Wise (She/Her), Salt & Sister Studio (Halah El-Kholy + Heidi El-Kholy, both she/her), Laurent Yee (they/them), Maddy Page, Fiona Quadri and Creaming Strawberries (Naïstini Valaydon + Coco Warner-Allen, both She/Her). Building on the themes of last year, the exhibition aims to subvert the notion of “dramatic” or “hysterical” women* and reclaim terminology that has historically been used to silence oppressed communities. The show is specifically curated through an intersectional feminist lens in order to represent a broad range of topics from a varied selection of artists, whose work centres on exploring issues such as gender, race, identity, politics, climate change, feminism and more.

Hysterical will offer audiences a new and alternative way of engaging with art while emphasising that art can be fun and joyful, yet still tackle serious issues During the two-week residency, Hysterical will also host a panel discussion and a series of creative workshops.

Back by popular demand, the weekend of events will begin with a feminist zine making workshop hosted by Grrrl Zine Fair, and a life drawing class the following day by Body Love Sketch Club. Confirmed speakers for the panel include; model and instagram policy advocate Nyome Nicholas Williams, author of ‘Queer Body Power’ artist, and changemaker Essie Dennis, disabled model and content creator Lucy Dawson, and will be hosted by Bee Illustrates. More speakers TBC.

Admission to the exhibition is free, with workshops and events ticketed at accessible prices and art available for purchase. We are proud to say that 100% of the money raised from our ticket will be donated to The Outside Project and Glitch, with artists given the option to donate a percentage of the funds from sales of their art to the charities.