As the self-proclaimed “conscience of the art world,” the Guerrilla Girls are an anonymous activist group with the goal of fighting inequality and bias in the arts. Learn how their cleverly crafted protest posters have made a remarkable journey from guerrilla activism to thought-provoking exhibitions in the very museums they have critiqued.
Since 1985 the Guerrilla Girls have been continuously and courageously exposing the biases and corruption within the art world and beyond. But instead of being alienated by the industry they criticize, their work has been welcomed by major museums, galleries, art fairs, and biennials, including the Tate Modern, Art Basel Hong Kong, and the Venice Biennale.
The Guerrilla Girls are a group of art activists who formed in the 80s. They aim to fight inequality and bias in the arts. As the self-proclaimed conscience of the art world, they assumed aliases named after famous women artists to maintain their anonymity. They targeted museums and stakeholders complicit in the exclusion of women and people of colour from exhibitions.
"I think the Guerrilla Girls were one of the earliest voices to bring sorts of conversations that were happening in very academic circles into a public arena" says Sotheby's Institute of Art faculty, Catherine McCormack.
They cleverly crafted complaints on well-designed posters and the group adopted visual techniques from advertising: bold lettering; witty headlines; and also the facts. Their fly posters popped up all over New York City, then on buses, billboards, and eventually in the museums they were critiquing.
According to McCormack, "they were using the very language of capitalist advertising that traditionally had exploited women’s bodies and commodified them, and they’re turning that on it’s head and interrupting it with a really stark political message."
The Guerrilla Girls still exist today and their work serves as a reminder of the gaping absence of important voices in the art world.
@sothebysinstitute As the self-proclaimed “conscience of the art world,” The Guerrilla Girls are an anonymous activist group with the goal of fighting inequality and bias in the arts. Learn how their cleverly crafted protest posters have made a remarkable journey from guerrilla activism to thought-provoking exhibitions in the very museums they have critiqued. #GuerrillaGirls #Art #ArtWorld #Activism ♬ original sound - Sotheby’s Institute