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We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Daria Khan, Co-Curator of the groundbreaking survey exhibition series ‘transfeminisms,’ to discuss its current chapter, ‘Care and Kinship’.
This major touring exhibition, spanning multiple chapters and locations, brings together a wide array of artists to explore feminist and queer strategies of resistance and collective action. The final chapter, ‘Hidden Labours’, will open on 7th November at Mimosa House, London.
Tell me about the origins of the transfeminisms exhibition series. What inspired the creation of this ambitious project, and how did you envision it unfolding across multiple chapters?
transfeminisms was an idea by Maura Reilly, a distinguished curator and scholar who was the Founding Curator of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum. She co-curated the seminal exhibition “Global Feminisms” in 2007 with Linda Nochlin. Maura expressed an interest in curating an exhibition that would revisit and expand upon the themes explored in “Global Feminisms.” I was deeply inspired by this project and felt that Mimosa House was the ideal venue to realise it.
This is an exhibition series of multiples: group exhibitions, curated by four co curators, presented over multiple chapters and locations.
With such a complex curatorial project, you’ve each emphasised the importance of platforming multiple voices, not just through the exhibiting artists but also in the curatorship. Why was it important to curate this project with multiple perspectives? How did adding more voices shape the project?
Maura and I were committed to incorporating a diverse range of perspectives in the project, not limited to those of artists but extending to curators as well. To achieve this, we invited two additional curators to join our team and bring their unique viewpoints to the subject.
Jennifer McCabe, is a Co-Curator of the exhibition, is also the director of SMoCA, where the exhibition will travel in 2025 after its stint at Mimosa House. Another fourth Co-Curator is Christine Eyene, a research curator at Tate Liverpool, who specialises in contemporary African and Diaspora arts.
You mentioned the involvement of a global curatorial advisory panel. That must have been quite a collaborative effort. How did working with these international curators shape your approach to the exhibition?
We reached out to our colleagues and international Curators for recommendations of artists whose contributions they considered vital to be part of transfeminisms. This approach was taken with the intention of maintaining a narrative rich in multiplicity and polyvocality. We learned a lot in this process, encountering a variety of artists’ practices; some of these were then included in transfeminisms.
One of the core themes of transfeminisms is resistance and collective action. How do you see the role of art in activism, particularly in an exhibition as intersectional and global as this one?
I believe the artworks on display reflect the current state of the world, particularly the conditions faced by women and queer individuals, and they openly address complex, and sometimes controversial, subjects. These works offer strategies of resistance, inspiring collective action.
Additionally, we have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding from the artists themselves through their live talks, workshops, and performances (recordings are available in the Video Archive https://www.mimosahouse.co.uk/video-archive on our website), which provide further insight into the contexts and themes of their work.
“This chapter is about collectivity, support structures, reconstructing and honouring ancestors and important lineages.“
It’s fascinating how you’ve structured the exhibition into thematic chapters. Could you explain how you balanced the personal narratives of the artists with broader collective themes in the show? How did you decide on those thematic intersections?
We examined the practices of all the artists involved to identify thematic intersections between their works. This led to the formation of five thematic chapters: Protest and Activism, Radical Imaginations, Fragile Archives, Care and Kinship, and Hidden Labours. These chapters are based on recurring subjects and overlaps in the artists’ works, despite the artists being from diverse backgrounds and generations.
Care and Kinship, which you focus on in this current chapter, are so deeply personal yet universally significant. How do you see these themes evolving within the larger discourse around transfeminisms? Can you share an example of an artist in the exhibition whose work embodies these ideas?
This chapter is about collectivity, support structures, reconstructing and honouring ancestors and important lineages. For instance, in the video piece ‘Matriarchs, Myths + Legends, 2021’, Marcia Harvey Isaksson pays tribute to her female ancestors. Seven women whose fates span over six generations in her family, women who have had a crucial impact on her own life and artistic development. By exploring her own family history and telling stories that link past events with today’s state of affairs, she highlights the interconnectedness of everything – what happened to her ancestors and her home region back then has affected not only her but the whole world.
Maria’s durational performance, Mbuya, muripi? Mbuya, muripi! (Grandmother, where are you? Grandmother, the atoner!), started at Mimosa House, featuring weaving and the sounds of the mbira—a traditional Zimbabwean instrument renowned for its ability to evoke spirits. The performance then moved to The British Museum, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum, institutions that house human remains awaiting repatriation and decent burials.
It’s clear that transfeminisms isn’t just a one-time exhibition but a conversation that keeps evolving. Looking forward, how do you hope the exhibition series will continue influencing discussions around global feminisms and the rights of queer and trans communities?
transfeminisms stand for the inclusivity and permeability of feminisms across cultures, identities, languages, and genders. It aims to spark a conversation about the importance of including diverse and transgender voices in feminist discourse and human rights discussions.
During our panel discussion, “Curating Feminisms,” we addressed the challenges and obstacles encountered when organising exhibitions on topics that might be viewed as controversial, particularly by funders. We also explored the impact of toxic institutional structures that can adversely affect outcomes. Additionally, we discussed the importance of pastoral care and accessible mentorship alongside professional support in the art industries.