As with many other fields, the art world has been slower to champion women than men. While their male counterparts have experienced commercial and critical success, female artists the world over have tended to be overlooked, until recent years; this month, you can do your part to tip the balance. Here are six female artists whose work will be appearing in galleries, fairs and exhibitions around town this month.
MICHELE CHU
Local artist Michele Chu’s performance works and participatory installations evoke a sense of intimacy and a yearning for connection. This is perhaps best reflected in her (2022), a popular participatory work staged at last year’s exhibition at Tai Kwun’s JC Contemporary galleries. The work resembles a tunnel or cocoon made of nude-coloured fabric with an opaque division halfway along. Visitors sit either side of this and follow prompts hanging at eye level—questions to ask the person on the other side, inciting conversation. The artist calls this “intimacy training”; her aim is to create a safe space where strangers can open up to one another. Intimacy is interpreted differently at Chu’s new solo show at PHD Group this month, for which the artist is creating several new works loosely inspired by a Japanese onsen. The inspiration manifests itself in the artwork through elements such as steam and hot air as well as a water installation. The exhibitions aim to metaphorically disarm, relax and cleanse viewers, allowing them to return to the world refreshed.
