Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1448619
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 FEBRUARY 2022 6 ART 'The Ordinary Lives of Women' THE Ordinary Lives of Wom- en is an exploration and appre- ciation of everyday women and all those identified as women, giving visibility to their role for humanity. The rhetoric around feminism often focuses on the achieve- ment of individual women, in an effort to justify their equality with men through the accom- plishments of a small number of successful individuals. This celebration of individual break- throughs leaves little space to acknowledge women's overall role for humanity – with wom- en often taking care of essential responsibilities which are un- recognised and undervalued. It also fails to address the fun- damental inequalities of the bi- nary gender model structuring social life. These come to the fore when the ordinary lives of women are given visibility. The exhibition intends to ap- preciate these ordinary lives without justifying, idealising or monumentalising, through an archival lens that zeroes in on women's lives in a historical perspective. It thus presents an alterna- tive to the heroisation of individuals which tends to dominate his- torical narratives and has been male cen- tered for far too long. Through the juxta- position and interac- tion of existing and specifically created multi-media works by diverse artists, the exhibition attempts to examine the politi- cal and social realities around women's (and thus humanity's) 'ordi- nary' lives. It also asks audi- ences to recognise that 'ordinary' wom- en have been pushed to extraordinary acts when their rights and lives have come under threat. Finally, it acknowledges its own geographical context; an island nation in the Med- iterranean, facing universal as well as specific realities in terms of women's rights. The Ordinary Lives of Women is a necessary celebration of the overlooked value of everyday women, curated by Elise Billiard Pisani & Margerita Pulè, featur- ing the work on artists Florinda Camilleri, Charlie Cauchi, Edith Dekyndt, Katel Delia, Rachael Fallon, Andrea Geyer, Miriam Syowia Kyambi, Fatima Maz- mouz & Francesca Saraullo. This exhibition has been made possible through a col- laboration with Unfinished Art Space, BRAZZA Art Residency, Art+Feminism & Wikimedia Community Malta and the support of the Melita Founda- tion & Arts Council Malta. It takes place from the 28 January 2022 to the 13 March 2022 at Spazju Kreattiv, Saint James Cavalier.