Sharon Kelly in “On the meaning of ‘Gossip'” at the British School at Rome

QSS artist Sharon Kelly is showing in the group show “On the meaning of ‘Gossip'” at the British School at Rome, curated by @martapellerini

Exhibition Launch, 31 May at 6 pm

Exhibition Dates, 31st May – 23rd June

The meaning of the word ‘gossip’ became derogatory in Europe only in the 16th century, with the advent of capitalism and the intention of destroying the close-knit female community that existed at the time and that could oppose the new dominant social classes. Gossip today means informal discourse, often harmful and linked to female or feminized subjectivities. Yet, as Silvia Federici says in her book “Witch, witch-hunting and women“: “women have historically been seen as the weavers of memory – those who keep alive the voices of the past and the histories of the communities, who transmit them to the future generations and, in so doing, create a collective identity and profound sense of cohesion.”
In transfeminist theory, this term has provided opportunities for revision of historical narrative structures, those that seem immutable, and towards which there is an attempt of deconstruction through personal experiences.
Based on these premises, the exhibition aims to investigate the different forms of transmitting and receiving wisdom that the invited artists carry out in their research and that go beyond the norms of knowledge. Be it oral archives, metamorphosis of matter or collaborative practices, the artists focus on their position in the world through the works displayed.

The exhibition will be open until 23 June Monday to Friday from 15 to 17 and includes work by: @maevekrbrennan @catrigallagher @hollycagrahamm @helenahladilova @lulunuti & Marie-Agnès Nobecourt @sharonkellyartist @lucytarquinio @laurawhite2

‘Shut Up Head IV’, gouache on printed paper, 2023, Sharon Kelly