As we celebrate the numerous accomplishments by women at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, it is worth also recognising the latest achievements by women in other industries, such as the arts.

For years, women have always been forced away from dominating in their career fields. However, as we see the rise of female leadership in this space, it is being proven that women are just as capable at excelling.

Recently, the arts have seen no shortage of triumph for women...

FEMALE FURY

The feminist art exhibition ‘Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990’, that recently showcased in London's Tate Modern placed over 100 feminist UK artists in the spotlight.

A great opportunity to celebrate the work of these women in one setting, ‘Women in Revolt!’ delved into the second wave of feminism and women’s liberation movement, allowing visitors to experience the anger and frustration experienced by women at the time.

Adrian Searle from The Guardian describes the exhibition as,

‘Tate’s first attempt at surveying feminist art with any sort of depth and seriousness’

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‍DOMINATING IN THE DIRECTORIAL SEAT

Moving on to cinema: the underrepresentation of women in the film industry, particularly in the directorial seat, is nothing we didn’t already know. However, over recent years the entertainment industry has seen women receiving award after award for their cinematic accomplishments.

Starting with the ultimate record breaker...

The huge success of much-anticipated blockbuster ‘Barbie’ saw female director, writer and actress Greta Gerwig triumph in her achievements as the largest debut for a film directed by a woman and highest grossing female directed film.

This was a great accomplishment to follow the success of her two solo-directed films ‘Lady Bird’ (2017) and ‘Little Women’ (2019). ‘Barbie’ reportedly made over $1.3 billion globally, also earning the title as highest grossing film of 2023.

Next, Nicole Taylor’s adaptation of novel ‘One Day’, released on Netflix earlier this year. It proved to be an extremely popular hit series amongst viewers. The one season series remained in Netflix’s list of Top 10 most popular TV shows for seven weeks in the UK.

Other recent cinematic achievements include the Best Screenplay win for ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (2023) directors Justine Triet and Arthur Harari at the January 2024 Golden Globes awards.

Following with actresses Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone winning Best Actress in the categories of Drama, and Musical or Comedy for films, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) and ‘Poor Things’ (2024).

Upcoming female-led film projects to come include Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut film, ‘Blink Twice’, a psychological thriller starring Naomi Ackie, to be released in UK cinemas late August this year.

Talking to CBS Sunday morning, Kravitz says that she’s keen to create complex female characters, drawing inspiration from,

‘Women who don’t see themselves as victims or aren’t written as victims’.

Having started writing the script back in 2017, Kravitz explains to Toronto Sun how the story started out by,

‘Wanting to really explore power and human nature and the female experience of having to pretend and forget and smile through fear and trauma’.

As such, audiences are looking forward to seeing Kravitz in the directorial seat for the first time.

TECH AND ART WORLDS COLLIDE

The tech world, an industry where women have begun to thrive, has seen an increase in creativity and innovation with the growth of women’s participation.

Their work has come to be greatly appreciated by all. From the collaboration of the art and tech worlds, we see the opening of a new space.

ART+TECH Report is an example of a company which uses technology to benefit and enhance the art world. The independent enterprise, in its two editions, has analysed the influences of consumer motivations and technological advancements within the art market.

ART+TECH Report was founded in 2020 by female Co-Founders Kerstin Gold, Kristina Leipold, Johanna Neuschäffer and Anne Schwanz. All from Berlin, their mission is to ‘investigate and illuminate the interface between art, market and technology’.

Speaking to MyArtBroker Magazine, Kerstin Gold talked about the recent rise in gender diversity within the art market, and the increased opportunities for women’s promotion to higher roles.

With years of experience in her field, Gold has faced instances of gender discrimination throughout her career.

When asked about the challenges that she has faced and how she overcame them, Gold has said that ‘active investing and participation in networks and communities of female experts has always provided [her] with significant support and empowerment’.

The advice that she has given on overcoming gender-based challenges as a woman includes:

‘If you want to make an impact, you need to have a voice. And, in order to amplify the voices of women in the field, we must raise our own visibility’.

As such, the merging of art and technology has paved the way for innovative shifts to the production and sales of artwork.

All in all, women leading the arts are making us proud with their never-ending achievements as we look forward to even more successes to come.

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