ArchiveExhibition
Monica Sjöö: The Great Cosmic Mother
18 Nov 2023-25 Feb 2024
Modern Art Oxford
Oxford OX1 1BP
Overview
Artist, activist, writer and eco-feminist Monica Sjöö (1938-2005) was unwavering in her advocacy for gender justice, eco-feminism, matriarchy and social equities. This retrospective exhibition charts her life work and considers the relationship between art, spirituality and politics.
Tracing the artist’s deep commitment to gender and environmental justice, The Great Cosmic Mother showcases Sjöö’s large-scale paintings created in response to the wide-ranging feminist and environmental campaigns she was actively involved in throughout her life. Sjöö’s prescient artworks were a pioneering form of environmental activism and anticipated politically urgent debates surrounding the climate emergency today.
The exhibition assembles artworks spanning Sjöö’s 40-year career alongside her writing, photographs, activist publications, banners, posters and personal documents to highlight how Sjöö saw creative work as a vital part of life, and art making as a means of reconnecting the alternative values of past cultures to the present. Moving interchangeably between artworks, archival documents and personal artefacts, the exhibition seeks to inspire visitors to reflect how they can find creative expression in all aspects of their lives.
Monica Sjöö: The Great Cosmic Mother is curated by Jo Widoff, Moderna Museet, and Amy Budd, Modern Art Oxford, in collaboration with Moderna Museet, Stockholm and Moderna Museet Malmö, Sweden where it is showing from 13 May – 18 October 2023 and 23 March – 8 September 2024 respectively.
