Doctoral Student, Victoria Lucas in conversation with Dr Paula McCloskey at AirSpace Gallery – Saturday 20 May 2017

LAY OF THE LAND (and other such myths)
AirSpace Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
Friday 5 May – Friday 2 June 2017
Open daily Thursday to Saturday 11.00am – 5.00pm (& Tuesdays and Wednesdays by appointment)

 

As part of her current solo exhibition at AirSpace Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, Victoria Lucas is holding two events on Saturday 20 May 2017

The Artist Soup Kitchen
Reflections of Belongings and Becomings: Art, Maternity and Family Art Activism with Dr. Paula McCloskey
Saturday 20 May, 12noon-2.00pm

In 2016, the performance artist Marina Abramovic said that having children would have been ‘a disaster for her work’. She went on to say that, ‘In my opinion that’s the reason why women aren’t as successful as men in the art world. There’s plenty of talented women. Why do men take over the important positions? It’s simple. Love, family, children – a woman doesn’t want to sacrifice all of that.’

Her words follow other female artists, such as Tracey Emin who, when interviewed in The Independent, said: ‘There are good artists that have children. Of course there are. They are called men. Mothers are too “emotionally torn.”’ Recently, there has been a proliferation of women artists who are exploring maternity in all its myriad forms.

In this Soup Kitchen, Dr. Paula McCloskey will explore the challenges facing artists with young families. What does it mean to be an artist and a mother? How do you test and challenge the existing art structures and models of traditional art institutions? And, how do you juggle the demands of parenting young children alongside artistic and other paid labour, often with little or no support?

 

 

Lay of the land (and other such myths)
Victoria Lucas in conversation and tour with Dr. Paula McCloskey
Saturday 20 May, 2:30-3:30pm

In conversation with Dr. Paula McCloskey, Victoria Lucas will tour us around the exhibition, offering insights into and discussion points around this major new installation. Within the talk, Victoria will broaden out her thinking to include the feminist framework underpinning the work. For more information on the Tour, including booking details, please visit the AirSpace Gallery website.