For decades the art world has remained this closed-off elite space that commodifies talent and maintains the status quo with white cis-het men at the helm. The discriminatory hierarchy that emerged with the contemporary art movement in the 20th century in the art gallery space is sadly, still intact. But a group of revolutionaries challenged this hegemony in 1985 by postering posh neighborhoods with data that exposed the shocking disparities in the art world.
It’s been 35 years since the anonymous badass group that dons gorilla masks rattled the art world and now their posters are showcased in every pop art exhibition and biennale. This group of women, who are artists themselves, take a pseudonym, wear an ironic gorilla mask and ask the very obvious question- ‘why a mediocre white man when a much more talented woman can do better?’ They are credited with dismantling the exploitative mainstream narratives- like the overemphasis on money in being a successful artist and who pumps the money and gets a say in these famous galleries’ board rooms and creating a space that artists of colour and women artists have always deserved. With the power of anonymity, their’ protest art’ has managed to tackle social issues like LQBTQIA+ rights, homelessness, misogyny in a radically authentic and even humorous way.
Their most popular work, a poster, is the image of a nude woman in a gorilla mask saying, “Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum” with statistical data that shows that less than 5% of artists in the modern art section of galleries are women. Still, more than 85% of the nudes are of women and the poster showing the marginal increase in art shows by women in 30 years, 20% from 1% in 1985, is very concerning. They call out sexist standards and the racism and corruption artists face through their numerous projects, including books, videos, posters, and interventions. They raise awareness through their ‘gigs’, events with attendance in thousands, which has a festival-like feel with music, where they conduct workshops and showcase videos. With collaborations and shows all around the world, this group of women has managed to do something that the regressive structures they are trapped in wouldn’t have allowed them to do otherwise- redefine art on their terms.
