Art & Culture | The all-girl art collectives taking over the internet

Art & Culture

The all-girl art collectives taking over the internet

Published on 13 April 2016

words Jess Midwinter

Share article on Facebook Tweet article on Twitter Pin article on Pinterest Post article on Tumblr Share on Google+ Email to a friend Share

The absence of women in the art world has been something female creatives have been fighting to change for years. The Guerilla Girls back in ’89 plastered posters all across New York stating that only 5% of the artists in the Metropolitan Museum of Art were women, and today, 26 years later, that number has (outrageously) only raised to 20%. The art world seems to be inherently and shamefully male dominated. Through the power of the Internet uniting female creatives from all corners the world, the all-girl-only-girl-art-girl collective fever has spread. Here’s a selection that you should be on your radar.

Art Baby

Art Baby Gallery is a digital platform utilising the power of the internet to open the door of feminism to anyone. Stating that any kind of ‘girl power’ – whether it be The Spice Girls or feminist literature – is a good thing because Art Baby is forwarding a democratic, accessible form of feminism (the best kind). The collective aims to encourage young females to understand that “your appearance can be important and empowering but there can be just as much significance placed on what you think or do or create”, as well as highlighting the importance of physical art with Art Baby showcasing monthly exhibits.

grlpwr Gang

Founded by Kirsti Hadley of Kirsti International and stylist/ DJ/ model Kylie Griffiths GRLPWR Gang may be brand new (the collective was founded on International Womens’ Day) but it has already recruited a team of fearless, diverse female creatives. Oh and it already has plans for world domination – starting with an outreach trip to LA this month, where the GRLPWR Gang plans to launch a clothing line, establish a Californian GRLPWR Gang outpost and have a damn good time doing it. Comprising members including photographers Millicent Hailes, Charlotte Rutherford and Nadia Lee Cohen, stylist Soki Mak, and Luv Luv Luv Records founder Mairead Nash, 2016 is going to be a big year for the freshest, most ambitious collective on the block.

Art Hoe Collective

“I sometimes get asked: “How come the men in your stories don’t have such strong characters?” And I’m like: “I don’t care.” I just want to find out about all the different lives a woman can live.” This is a quote from Art Hoe writer and contributor Helen Oyeyem; perfectly encapsulating the empowerment felt through the Art Hoe platform. Designed for creatives of colour, and through the mediums of painting, photography, dance, poetry and performance, the collective aims to develop characters which are multidimensional, flaunting the kind of depth and humanity which is missing in the art world today.

World Wide Women Collective

untitled, Anna Pahlavi

Forming a sisterhood of women artists, the World Wide Women Collective unites women from all over the world with a shared vision, effecting a positive change, and empowering one another. The collective states they are not anti-men, they just want women to come together to form something beautiful, and that they do. Featuring work from photographer Hadassi, American artists Amanda Charchian and Shae DeTar, filmmaker and fine artist Maximilla Lukacs, and many more, it allows the audience to see a diverse array of work that always offers a female perspective.

Paige by Kristin Gallegos

The Arduous

from People Are Overrated by Hanna Antonsson

Petra Collins is the woman of the moment – she’s a photographer, she’s walked for Gucci, she’s ranked on the New York times best photography books of last year, and she is the founder of the all women art collective The Arduous.
Collins states her goals for The Arduous and they are as simple as follows; “Art “has the ability to set ideals, philosophical concerns, and cultural conditions” so growing up in a society where images for and of women are actually created by and for men leaves little room for a healthy, unbiased view of the female gender. This destructive culture of a one-sided representation needs to change. I want to offer an alternative to this landscape we live on, one that celebrates women and the power that we hold.” Holla.

Self-portait, Petra Collins