Quinlan and Hastings: The history of feminism
20 April 2023
Through their art, Quinlan and Hastings explore the history of feminism on the political right in the UK, from the Edwardian period to today. Two works within their 'Portraits' exhibition (on display until 4 June 2023) look in detail at this subject.
'Disgrace' (2021)
In this series of 12 etchings, the artists take a look at feminism through political and historical moments. In particular, these etchings bring out some overlooked links between feminism and the political right. Through their research, they discovered connections between women presented as national icons in history and unsavoury topics such as Fascism and eugenics.
Our aim was to create our own feminist timeline that presents this alternative narrative, thinking about the British empire and colonialism, white feminism, and how class has intersected with issues of feminism, xenophobia and racism in this time period.
Rosie Hastings
This series was the first time the pair had undertaken work in etchings and they incorporate symbolism and references to art history and old masters such as Michelangelo, Paolo Uccello, Goya, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi.
The timeline starts in the late 1800s and ends with the last two etchings of the series, which focus on Conservative groups such as Women2Win, co-founded by Theresa May, and aimed at increasing the number of Conservative women in Parliament and in public life.
Several etchings take inspiration from the Women’s Suffrage Movement and expose its affiliation with conservative ideologies, such as the Women’s Social and Political Union, which advocated for suffrage for female property owners, instead of universal suffrage.
'Mother'
Mother is a bold colour pencil drawing that uses symbolism of the Twelve Labours of Hercules to represent the challenge of women's political emancipation.
The woman is dressed up in a hat, striding in front of an English country mansion whilst carrying a bull under her arm.
The woman in this work is presented as an Edwardian property owner, so whilst she is representing the struggle for women's rights, this also nods to the fact that her privilege and property would have given her access to voting rights before women in lower classes at the time.
Whether they’re villains or heroes, we’re always interested in drawing our characters with muscular vitality to show their power … and think about how it’s wielded.
Rosie Hastings
You can see Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings: Portraits on display until the end of 4 June. Exhibition opening hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holidays. Admission is free and there's no need to book.
Thanks to www.theguardian.com and arcadiamissa.com.