“I was struck by the number of projects that were centred around the unseen. They are highlighting hidden stories or taking topics considered ‘shameful’ and are finding inventive ways to make themselves heard,” Sarah Maple, the curator of this collection wrote in her introduction.
Sarah Maple is award-winning artist whose work has been exhibited internationally at galleries and institutions including Tate Britain, Golden Thread Gallery and York Art Gallery. In her work too, the silencing of women is a major theme. Her most recent work is a series on motherhood where she looked into the invisible labour that goes into raising a baby. The projects that she has picked for this collection also find inventive ways to make the invisible visible.
Hello Anger by Jiali Dong, an MA Art and Science graduate, used interactive artwork to alleviate people's anger. "This work reminds me of this ‘calm down dear’ attitude where women are told they don’t have a reason to be angry or should hide their anger. I like how this invites us to actively participate in expressing anger through performance. Especially highlighting PMDD, another medical issue women are often shamed for or silenced," Sarah said about the work.
Sarah recognises that a lot of the shame and suppression is generational, passed down as tradition or culture. This is reflected in BA (Hons) Jewellery Design graduate Sixu Gao’s work where she explored ageing and how women are expected to hide it. The House by BA (Hons) Performance: Design and Practice graduate Ophélie Verhaeghe de Naeyer also looked into transgenerational baggage using the house as a receptacle of past, present, and future existences.
The biggest hurdle for women is to be taken seriously and while Sarah as every artist has experience imposter syndrome, she has always had confidence that what she was saying had value. Especially when she was starting out, in a post 9/11 era, where negativity around Muslims was on an all-time high, voices like hers needed to be heard. “All the stories that have been hidden and not been given the opportunities are now being given more space.” BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design graduate Safa Zanad with her series, The Ordinary Swiss, aimed to make brown, black and Muslim women as the face of Swiss-ness. “As a Muslim with mixed heritage living in Britain, I am also constantly asking myself these questions of identity. The conversations between the young women in this film were very powerful. I especially enjoyed the discussion about the hijab with the landscape in the background towards the end of the film," Sarah commented.
Seeing the Unseen inspires you to be unafraid, vocal and believe that your voice needs to be heard. All the artists and creators featured in the collection have a unique perspective to the female experience and they present it effectively. Sarah hopes this collection inspires artists and creators who are getting started, to believe in their voice and that’s her advise for them.
“Don't do the thing that you think you should be doing. Trust your gut instinct and stay true to yourself and your work.”
Discover Seeing the Unseen on UAL Showcase.
Central Saint Martins on UAL Showcase