Exhibition / 19 May 2022 - 25 Sep 2022
The first exhibition of its kind, Feminine power takes a cross-cultural look at the profound influence of female spiritual beings within global religion and faith.
Explore the significant role that goddesses, demons, witches,
spirits and saints have played – and continue to play – in shaping our
understanding of the world.
How do different traditions view femininity? How has female
authority been perceived in ancient cultures? For insights, the
exhibition looks to divine and demonic figures feared and revered for over
5,000 years. From wisdom, passion and desire, to war, justice and mercy, the
diverse expression of female spiritual powers around the world prompts us to
reflect on how we perceive femininity and gender identity today.
Worship of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, reveals how her
destructive capacity is venerated alongside her ability to create. The Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, who transcends gender and is
visualised in male form in Tibet and female in China and Japan, uncovers the
importance of gender fluidity in some spiritual traditions. And the terrifying
Hindu goddess Kali, depicted in art carrying a severed head and bloodied sword,
is honoured as the Great Mother and liberator from fear and ignorance.
Enhanced by engagement with contemporary
worshippers, faith communities and insights from high-profile collaborators
Bonnie Greer, Mary Beard, Elizabeth Day, Rabia Siddique and Deborah Frances-White, the
exhibition considers the influence of female spiritual power and what
femininity means today.
Bringing together sculptures, sacred objects
and artworks from the ancient world to today, and from six continents, the
exhibition highlights the many faces of feminine power – ferocious, beautiful,
creative or hell-bent – and its seismic influence throughout time.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/feminine-power-divine-demonic
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