Kolkata: An international multidisciplinary exhibition titled ‘Empowerment: Art and Feminisms in Kolkata’ explores feminist artistic practices and their role in addressing contemporary global challenges through photographs, video installation, lithograph, neon, multimedia installation, animation, virtual reality, drawings, and performance art at Goethe-Institut.The exhibition, inaugurated on Saturday, will continue till April 15. It is curated by Andreas Beitin, Katharina Koch, and Uta Ruhkamp, and is co-produced by Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and Goethe-Institut. Bringing together 31 international and South Asian feminist artists and collectives who respond through their work to the urgent conditions of our time, the exhibition is set against the backdrop of ecological catastrophes, ongoing conflicts, the pandemic’s impact, post-colonial legacies, and social inequality.Director of Goethe-Institut Kolkata Astrid Wege said, “We are proud to present the exhibition because, on one hand, Goethe-Institut is committed to questions of gender, gender equality, and the empowerment of girls, both in education and culture. On the other hand, being a cultural institute, we bring to Kolkata a high-quality exhibition with so many acclaimed artists from all over the world, through which they expressed their visions of a more equal and free life for women and all genders.”Ruhkamp shared the exhibition is presented in seven categories — Her Stories & Other Narratives, Desired and Violated Bodies, Feminist Futures, Gender Identity, Labour of Care, Planetary Challenges, and Resistance Protest. “With their art, the artists explore social inequality, sexism, racism, and the intertwining of many forms of discrimination. Their art visualises connections between bodies, technology, and ecological issues. They point to possibilities of resistance as well as self-empowerment,” she added.
