Image Credit - Hannah O’ Shea, Tate
Hannah O’Shea performs a Litany for Women Artists.
Lily Pattison
01/04/24
Join O’Shea and HOWL for a closing show of the ‘Women in Revolt!’ exhibition.
Celebrating the final day of the ‘Women in Revolt!’ exhibition, a performance of Hannah O’Shea's iconic work A Litany for Women Artists will be available to watch on April 7 at the Tate Britain.
First performed in 1976, A Litany for Women Artists consists of a chanting of over 600 forgotten women artists creating a striking commentary on their absence within art history. She explains it as “the ignorance and historical denial of their contribution as creative instigators.”
This performance will be conducted in collaboration with the singing collective HOWL. Lydia, a collective member, explains “We sing a lot of experimental and contemporary pieces as well as our own compositions, so we were a good fit for the performance of Hannah’s piece. When we were asked we jumped at the chance. We loved the idea of using our voices to celebrate and memorialize these women artists. We also couldn’t believe that Hannah found all these women artists back in the 1970s, pre-internet. What a powerful act of excavation.”
She continues “We are so excited to do it in the Tate, singing these women’s names in that cavernous hall which really represents the art establishment of this country.”
During the performance, she explains that they will join in with, “An improvised chant, which felt like a lot of names so we were impressed that Hannah sang all 600 in the original 1975 performance!”
Adding to this she explains, “Hannah’s solo performance in the 70s must have been incredibly powerful, but having six different women’s voices sing the names added a compelling element of collectivity, which felt appropriate for the event.”
The ‘Women in Revolt!’ Exhibition is currently breaking records, featuring over one hundred women artists working in the UK. The Tate explains, “Despite long careers, these artists were often left out of the artistic narratives of the time. This will be the first time many of their works have been on display since the 1970s.”
The exhibition is free for members while the performance is available to view for free from 14.00–15.00 on the 7 April.
First performed in 1976, A Litany for Women Artists consists of a chanting of over 600 forgotten women artists creating a striking commentary on their absence within art history. She explains it as “the ignorance and historical denial of their contribution as creative instigators.”
This performance will be conducted in collaboration with the singing collective HOWL. Lydia, a collective member, explains “We sing a lot of experimental and contemporary pieces as well as our own compositions, so we were a good fit for the performance of Hannah’s piece. When we were asked we jumped at the chance. We loved the idea of using our voices to celebrate and memorialize these women artists. We also couldn’t believe that Hannah found all these women artists back in the 1970s, pre-internet. What a powerful act of excavation.”
She continues “We are so excited to do it in the Tate, singing these women’s names in that cavernous hall which really represents the art establishment of this country.”
During the performance, she explains that they will join in with, “An improvised chant, which felt like a lot of names so we were impressed that Hannah sang all 600 in the original 1975 performance!”
Adding to this she explains, “Hannah’s solo performance in the 70s must have been incredibly powerful, but having six different women’s voices sing the names added a compelling element of collectivity, which felt appropriate for the event.”
Image Credit - HOWL
The ‘Women in Revolt!’ Exhibition is currently breaking records, featuring over one hundred women artists working in the UK. The Tate explains, “Despite long careers, these artists were often left out of the artistic narratives of the time. This will be the first time many of their works have been on display since the 1970s.”
The exhibition is free for members while the performance is available to view for free from 14.00–15.00 on the 7 April.
Check out the link here for the full info.