Still I Rise: Feminisms, Gender, Resistance

Still I Rise is a timely exhibition exploring the role that women have played in the history of resistance movements and alternative forms of living. Coinciding with the centenary of women’s suffrage in the UK, this major group exhibition looks at resistance across the world from a multiplicity of viewpoints, from the domestic sphere to large-scale uprisings and spanning the late 19th century to the present.

With over 100 exhibits by some 40 practitioners, Still I Rise presents the way in which resistance has been approached by visual artists, writers, architects, designers, activists, working as individuals or in groups. It takes place within a global context, referring to recent women-led uprisings and demonstrations, including mass protests in Argentina confronting violence against women: ‘Ni Una Menos’, the global Women’s Strike initiated in the US, as well as the pivotal role women played in the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement. The exhibition also references key historic moments including the Civil Rights Movement, resistance against dictatorships in Latin America in the 1960s–70s, independence movements against colonial rule in Africa, the Women’s Liberation Movement, the AIDS crisis and the Stonewall Rebellion.

At the core of Still I Rise is the idea of collaboration, community building and egalitarianism. The gallery space will host discussions, workshops and performances, creating a site for participation and a platform for multiple voices. Within the exhibition, visitors are invited to build their own version of the accompanying publication, reflecting a history of self-publishing as a form of resistance.

Participating artists, collectives and archives include: Glenn Belverio, Carolina Caycedo, Alice Constance Austin, Sister Corita Kent, Blondell Cummings, Chiara Fumai, Eduardo Gil, Jesse Jones, Ellen Lesperance, Zoe Leonard, Ad Minoliti, Ana Mendieta, Senga Nengudi, Victoria Santa Cruz, Tai Shani, Osias Yanov, Wages for Housework, Greenham Common Peace Camp, Lambeth Women’s Project, See Red Women’s Workshop, among many others.

The exhibition is a collaboration between Nottingham Contemporary and the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea. It has been curated by Irene Aristizábal (Nottingham Contemporary), Rosie Cooper (De La Warr Pavilion) and Cédric Fauq (Nottingham Contemporary).