The artists involved have all been inspired by women whose work appears in Women in Revolt! Maria Guy, who curated the Camden mural project and hand-selected the artists, tells us that, “Disco Dickins designed the mural, creating huge painted hands and arms coming out of the ground to represent protesters. They are imposing, looming and strong–just what we envisioned.” Of the project’s unique placement in the Camden arches, Dickins says, “I’ve always been obsessed with arches. I just think they’re so beautifully atmospheric and epic so it was a dream to be able to create a piece of public art here, it really adds gravitas to the work. As someone who grew up and working in Camden much of my life, the piece felt especially poignant.”

She adds, “When I’m painting a mural, I get to experience an area in such a unique way. I have the opportunity to see people interact with the work and share their experience of it whilst it’s being created. It was amazing to see the amount of people stopped on the tracks by the piece as it was taking shape. You could see women feeling instantly and visibly empowered by the work.” Dickins’ design eye is integral to the project’s overall feel, pulling it together. 

Here, Maria tells us about the process curating the mural.

What’s the background of this project? 

Tate has an amazing new exhibition opening very soon titled Women in Revolt! They came to us to ask if we could create an outdoor piece to celebrate and promote the show. This was an ideal project for us, combining female artists and public art. I am a fan of the curator, Linsey Young, and have been looking forward to this show, so it was great to think about how we could showcase some brilliant female artists who are doing powerful work. The brief was to create a protest scene, so what better than to curate a collection of artists who create impactful and mouthy art? 

What’s the messaging behind the work? 

The messaging is not only to promote the show but to create a thought-provoking piece that inspires people to view the artworks. Each artist was briefed to create something that resonated with them within the subjects of women’s rights, activism, women’s place in society and their own personal experience.  

How did you come to curate this line-up of artists? What drew you to them? 

As soon as I read the brief, most of the artists popped into my head. They are all on my radar as women who are creating work that is personal, punchy, and at times challenging. It is also work that I thought would translate well into poster form. I like artists who are bold in their work and in their personalities and I felt this collection of artists brought both of those and fitted perfectly with the messaging.  

I had previously worked with Disco Dickins, the lead creative on this project, and I am such a great fan of not only her work but her strength and tenacity in subject matters that really mean a lot to her. She does so much work advocating for rights for marginalised groups and communities, and I wanted her voice to be central to this piece. This needed to be a piece that represented all women.  

Why is collaboration so key to the work? 

Being part of something is integral to our existence. It can sometimes feel so isolating in our busy world, so when an opportunity arises to join forces and be on the same page, it can fill you with hope and strength. Those are the subjects we really wanted to bring to the mural: the powerful hands and arms pushing upwards from the ground, the collection and collage of posters with statements and calls for change, the imagery of revolutionary women rising up. I love how each poster created by each artist tells a different story, a different experience; this is so essential and integral in our work where we wanted to fully represent an array of backgrounds, sexualities, life experiences.

Why was it important to blend all of the artists’ voices together? 

My practice as a producer and curator has always centred around thoughtful programming and keeping work bold, varied, challenging, fresh and current. I think and hope that the choice of artists portrays a mixture of experiences, and I love that each poster is a window into each artist’s mind and feelings. Zhou Ning’s for example is a comedic take on working as a dishwasher in China whilst trying to work out her identity as a Chinese-born artist moving back to London after the pandemic. Olivia Twist’s work is of the communal housing squats in Hackney in the late 70s, which were primarily founded by Lesbian women. In these buildings, women provided a space of refuge for other women. I just love to see this history and these images that I otherwise would not have known about brought to the streets. The breadth of imagery that we are celebrating is important to me and to the artists.