WHAT?  Judy Chicago: Revelations 

WHERE?  The Serpentine North Gallery, West Carriage Drive, London W2 2AR

WHEN?  Now until 1st September. Free to view 

WHY GO?  For full-on art and activism.  This is heady stuff, a feminist love-in with art that is anti everything except power to women yet it’s strangely intoxicating.  American artist, Chicago born Cohen, but nattily renamed after her home city, is the focus of an exciting exhibition and it’s not for the faint hearted. Even at the age of 84, she’s an artistic force who never shies away from crusading for everything, from the agonies of giving birth to the agonies of climate change. 

Famous worldwide for her 1980 Rainbow Warrior Greenpeace poster, she is still protesting and creating works that promote injustices throughout the world.  The walls of this normally calm gallery in the park are ablaze with her psychedelic artworks, original drawings and immersive multimedia elements including her famous installation, The Dinner Party (1974-79) with Chicago herself narrating. 

This was a game changing art installation that imagined a mythical banquet set for 39 women she admired from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Emily Dickinson.  It was exhibited in 16 venues throughout  six countries and is now in the Brooklyn Museum and is too fragile to move.

And as ever the feminist, the exhibition finale poses the question ‘What if Women ruled the World?’ and invitations to reply include comments such as ‘We would have a world less violent’. Thought provoking!

IN THE KNOW  Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director at Dior collaborated with Chicago for her 2020 Haute Couture show, The Female Divine, combining both their creative strengths to reference empowering the female body.  It featured a huge goddess figure and banners embroidered with her favourite question ‘What if Women ruled the World’?