‘What if women ruled the world?” asks Judy Chicago. The words are emblazoned on a colossal, medieval-esque tapestry in Herstory, her exhibition at the New Museum in New York. The tapestry is set up like an altarpiece and forms the backdrop to an almost 1,000-year-old illuminated manuscript by the composer, artist, mystic and visionary Hildegard of Bingen. A woman with a wild amount of freedom for her time, Hildegard was able to speak publicly and correspond with the pope. Chicago’s question looms large and is, somehow, still surprising.
Formerly Judy Gerowitz – she renounced her married name in favour of the city of her birth – Chicago has been a formidable force in feminist art for six decades. Told by her professors in the late 1950s and early 60s that women’s contribution to European history was “none”, she took it upon herself to track down volumes of books by and about leading women in a variety of professions.
In 1970, she developed the Feminist Art Program, a first for US universities that began at Fresno State College in California. By the end of the decade, she had cemented her name and was touring The Dinner Party, a monumental artwork comprising a triangular table honouring 39 mythological and historical women in the form of vulva-shaped place settings (as if to award women “a seat at the table”). Since 2007, it has been housed in the Brooklyn Museum, having taken 30 years to find a permanent home.
In Herstory, Chicago is celebrating women again – and questioning male dominance – in a church-like setup that brings together 500 years of artworks by women, placing them under flags that ask pressing questions. They are grouped in a space called the City of Ladies, a reference to the poet Christina de Pisan’s book of short biographies of accomplished women, believed to have been finished in 1405. Exhibited are baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, Harlem Renaissance pioneer Lois Mailou Jones, Frida Kahlo in the form of a stag, and the British surrealist Leonora Carrington. It’s a joyful display, but sadly their installation is only temporary. Outside here, I’ve only seen a handful of artworks by these women – all of which makes me wonder about the priorities of our mainstream museums.
If women ruled the world, would galleries be more equal? How different would history look? With so much of our image-saturated culture stemming from the dominance of European painting and the gender and class roles it has perpetuated, would women in charge mean a more balanced, more nuanced society, with women no longer always the object and men not always the author?
It’s not as if women didn’t exist as artists. Chicago’s work not only shows that they were making powerful images many centuries ago, but also highlights their subsequent erasure. Above these artworks, and bookending the dominant “What if women ruled the world?” tapestry, are further flags bearing questions that seem timely: “Would the Earth be protected?”, “Would there be violence?”, “Would both women and men be gentle?”, “Would God be female?” Chicago covers so much rich ground, from how we treat one another to how we treat the planet. Yet, as with all her work, the aim is not for a dominating matriarchal culture, but rather an equitable one.
I found myself asking similar questions as the events of the Covid inquiry unfolded last week. Would as many women have died from domestic abuse during the first lockdown had there been more diversity in our leaders? Similarly shocking was the revelation that PPE isn’t designed for female bodies, a huge threat considering (as outlined in an unnecessarily apologetic email from Helen MacNamara, then deputy cabinet secretary and one of the country’s highest ranking female officials) that 77% of NHS staff are female, as are 89% of nurses. Is it any surprise, in such a climate, that we hear of “violent and misogynistic language” being used by men high up in government?
What we learned was that we need more people of different genders in powerful positions, not just to make sure other voices are heard – but to prevent deaths. Historically, women have always participated and contributed, often having to work harder to be heard. Why are our narratives still being erased?
Chicago’s questions are for everyone. On the top floor of Herstory, people have made responses to that initial question. They read: “There would probably be less war, less violent conflict”, “Strength would be seen as normal”, “The first step would be to abolish gender norms and deconstruct the entire hetero-patriarchal, racist and classist system that surrounds us.” Chicago has devoted her life to fighting for such a world. In this place, those who came before us would be properly recognised – and life would be better for everyone.
