Huge feminist installation covers the facade of Washington's Museum of Women

A huge feminist installation to cover the facade of Washington ’s National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) during renovations that are affecting the museum. The NMWA closed its doors in August 2021 for a €67.5 million renovation that will lead to substantial renovations, but in the meantime the institution continues to work with activities off its premises. One of these is the large textile installation commissioned from Austrian artist Katharina Cibulka (Innsbruck, 1975), part of her series entitled Solange (“until” in German), works in which Cibulka addresses gender inequality and social power structures. The work Cibulka made for the NMWA, and which will remain on display until Feb. 26, 2023, is a large white mesh cloth with the pink tulle phrase “As long as generations change but our struggles stay the same, I will be a feminist” (“As long as generations change but our struggles stay the same, I will be a feminist”).

This is the largest work in the Solange series, which already has previous monumental installations, with phrases on the same tone, for example, “As long as the art market is a boys’ club, I will be a feminist,” or “As long as he makes money while I work for change, I will be a feminist,” or “As long as women’s power is an undervalued source of energy, I will be a feminist.” For each of the works in the Solange series, Cibulka studies the context and local community of the locations where the work will be installed while developing the phrase for that location. The NMWA solicited ideas from the public last spring to help the artist understand the concerns of community members and museum supporters. Previous statements have addressed issues such as income inequality, family structures, abuse of power and the art world.

“Cibulka’s project reimagines yards, spaces commonly associated with a narrow concept of masculinity, which makes her message of gender equity resonate powerfully,” said Kathryn Wat, NMWA chief curator. “We are thrilled to give her the space to share her process and reflect on NMWA’s mission and the values of our local community.”

"The sentences in the Solange series,“ said Cibulka, ”unequivocally point to the imbalances that exist. Where there is power, there is room for action,“ he added, referring to the fact that the White House stands a short distance from NMWA. ”If the most powerful people on this earth would finally use their power to benefit everyone and not just to gain more power and profit for themselves and a few others, the world would be a more equitable place today."

Pictured is Katharina Cibulka’s installation. Photo by Kevin Allen

Huge feminist installation covers the facade of Washington's Museum of Women

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