Unfolding / Folding presents new and recent work by five Australian artists, Courtney Coombs, Sabella D’Souza, Kate Just, Alice Lang and Hannah Raisin.
Unfolding / Folding considers contemporary feminist discourse through an expanded concept of performance. Each artist references performative elements; movement, objects, space and action to critically discuss heteronormative structures that privilege a universal viewpoint. Through this performative framework, the complexities and possibilities of feminist discourse are considered; temporality, virtual and public space, narrative and learning structures to disrupt the neoliberal politics shaping mainstream feminism.
Drawn from Hannah Raisin’s Fold (2015), Unfolding / Folding positions itself within a discourse of collective action. Unfolding / Folding situates feminism as a method of inquiry, a network of visible and subversive strategies through a range of media and perspectives. Such a framework aligns with recent work by Amelia Jones and her term ‘para feminism’ and projects such as BACKFLIP: Feminism and humour in Contemporary Art (2013) and AS IF: 40 Years and Beyond – Celebrating the Women’s Art Register (2015).