Image via Gillie and Marc
It seems fitting that international artists Gillie and Marc would choose New Yorkers City, a cultural hub for progression, innovation, and diversity, to host their newest project regarding gender equality. In 2018, the artists plan to install eight life-size bronze sculptures of powerful women in the heart of the city as a public art exhibition: the world’s largest gender equality art project to this day.
This esteemed husband and wife artistic team have displayed monumental sculptures in over 40 cities around the world, including Beijing, Sydney, Shanghai, and London. They have even previously exhibited in our very own Rockefeller Center. However, out of the 100+ sculptures the duo has created for public places and businesses, only one of them has been a woman. In fact, in New York alone, there are over 150 notable male statues, and only five female statues.
Gillie and Marc plan to bring these eight new female statues to the city in the hopes of kick-starting the construction of more female sculptures across the globe. Some of the women listed in these sculptures include Michelle Obama, Beyonce Knowles, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey.
This exhibit will tour for one year to raise awareness about this sculptural gender gap, and correct the imbalance of female portrayal in public art.
These revolutionary artists hope to use the sculptures to start a conversation about gender inequality across the world. Each sculpture will include a link to a website where visitors can learn more about the amazing women, facts about issues of gender inequality, and what they can do to help.
Succeeding the launch of the project in the Unites States, Gillie and Marc will bring this to 40 other cities across the world. The women represented in the exhibit will be chosen by the public, who can vote on the artists poll here.
Next, read 10 Highlights of MNYC Exhibit: “Art in the Open: Fifty Years of Public Art in NYC” and check out 10 of NYC’s Most Memorable Public Art Installations to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of “Art in the Parks”.
