A Duo Exhibit - Illuminating Gender-based Violence through the Arts

Forme Femine Art Gallery is pleased to present ‘ENSEMBLE: Art, Activism and Gender’, displaying two of our passionate women artists; Clara Aden and Odirile Makaku.

This duo show pays homage to the collective women’s rights and feminist art movement, attempting to capture raw expressions of the experiences of marginalized women and illuminating interpretations of Gender-based violence.

Joining in on the annual international 16 Days of Activism campaign (currently running from 25th November to December 10th,2021), we seek to bring more awareness to femicide and violence against women, engaging art and dialogue in digital spaces.

ENSEMBLE is an exhibition of raw and intricately created mixed media works highlighting how female artists of African descent employ art forms in highlighting narratives bordering on violence against women on the African continent.

Featuring Nigerian artist, Clara Aden and South African artist, Odirile Makaku, this duo exhibit draws influence from collective calls to action globally, attempting to visually illuminate these voices in a digital ensemble through sensitive artistic representations of key happenings that affect the plights of women in the Sub Saharan Region.


The works selected for this project dissect interpretations and creative expressions of the core themes of gender-based violence and femicide - through the African lens, extending to global contexts as a symbolic way to connect concurrent human and civil rights movements across the globe.


Employing brushstrokes, drawing and mixed media, the artists share their illustrative expressions on related occurrences and their ripple effect, from experiences in their immediate environment and beyond - via a virtually hosted platform, increasing awareness on these global gender issues.

The show also features a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection in the ‘Minted Memoirs’ booth as an attempt to digitize or ‘tokenize’ the intersection of women’s art, representation, gender issues and GBV related statistics.
Drawing strong influences from in-depth conversations in the ‘Making a Feminist Internet: Movement Building in A Digital Age in Africa’ 2019 final report, which highlighted art and technology as tools for expression and the further advancement of women’s rights, as well as the role of women in collectively reimagining, making and amplifying existing platforms/movements.



Forme Femine acknowledges the importance of art, technology and innovation in driving a more inclusive and sustainable society for women.


Using art activism, this exhibition invites the public to engage in an uneasy but necessary dialogue on global human and civil rights.


EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
Clara Aden
Aden’s body of work seeks to find ‘the cracks and holes in the walls’. It is an illuminated approach to storytelling - bringing awareness to gender inequality and call for action to end Gender based violence against women and girls.

Odirile Makaku
In her series, Makuku adopts the mental states of victimized South African women. Drawing from her own experiences; she creates these artworks as a form of healing process. In her words, “letting go of the fear inflicted, scars that I carry and pain that no longer serves me.”
Each piece in her series is a tribute to a specific article based on GBV topics in South Africa.


Curatorial Note:
The development and refining of this exhibit's concept took place across four weeks of artistic production, studio labor, and virtual workshops with the artists, exploring a practical intersection of art, activism and gender.