Jane Graberall is using symbols that have previously been deployed to disempower women to make us think about them in a new way. Think of her gazing at her own effect. That's what I think is really interesting, look, who's looking at who? And what bits are we looking at? All you see is her face in the mirror, but you do see the face. Yeah. With her little son Cupid,. On the mirror. On a boy's fall. A witch is in the sale, yes, it's for sale. So yeah, just bringing it back to the concept of power.
How has Western culture depicted powerful women down the ages? To what extent have they been packaged into a male template? And how much have they been able to control their own image? Featuring classicist Mary Beard and Sotheby’s specialist Holly Braine, and chaired by cultural critic Shahidha Bari, the conversation will range from sculptures of ancient goddesses such as Aphrodite and Athena, to portraits of Queen Elizabeth I as ‘Gloriana’, to the empowered politicians and cultural icons of today. This conversation was produced in partnership with Sotheby's for Sotheby’s Talks: (Women) Artists.
To view the accompanying images for this conversation please visit: https://intelligencesquared.com/sothebys-women-artists-women-in-power/
This event was recorded on the 26th of February 2023, at Sotheby's in London. It was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye and editing was by Producer Catharine Hughs.
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