When Will Women Artists Be Equal?
After decades of work, expectations for women artists to prioritize family — or male peers — remains the prevailing norm rather than the exception.
At Kunsthaus Zurich, ReCollect!, a vibrant exhibition decrying this lack of representation, occupies one gallery. The show was organized by Hulda Zwingli, a collective of women artists founded in 2019, on the day of the Women’s Strike. Hulda Zwingli is the Swiss equivalent of New York’s Guerrilla Girls, their tactics updated for today’s social media culture. The Swiss collective styles itself as a cheeky influencer, equally active on Instagram and in the city’s public spaces. In ReCollect!, photographs document their actions. For one, a placard placed on a public statue of a nude reads, “Do women in Zurich have to be naked to get into the public space?,” while another asks, “Is the percentage of women artists here under 5%?” — Kunsthaus Zurich visible in the background of the image.
