Art / Features
New exhibition exploring gender is ‘respectful, kind and inclusive’
Walking around the new Gender Stories exhibition at Bristol Museum ahead of its opening, senior curator Helen McConnell Simpson said she is “ready to have conversations with people who disagree with the content.”
The aim is to step beyond the polarising factors surrounding gender.
Gender is often positioned as a topic of the here and now, so McConnell Simpson and her team have incorporated both current and historical pieces from different cultures to emphasise that LGBTQIA+ culture is not a new phenomenon and to fill in gaps within everyone’s knowledge.
“Everybody has a lived experience of gender and this is a place to hear other peoples’ perspectives and reflect on your own experiences,” McConnell Simpson told Bristol24/7.
“To think about how gender shows up in our lives, at different periods where it might come to the foreground.”
“We are really aware that this is a contentious topic and people are potentially going to react negatively to the idea of doing an exhibition about gender,” says Bristol Museum curator Helen McConnell Simpson
Through a large variety of paintings, sculptures, photography and historical artefacts, the exhibition addresses key questions like “How do you ‘do’ your gender?,” “Who decides your gender?” and “What is the future of gender?”.
The visitor gets the chance to explore themes such as intersectional feminism and forms of socialising between people of the same gender.
Helen tells me that her favourite piece is by South African photographer Zanele Muholi. The image shows them adopting the persona of a beauty pageant participant with an uncompromised gaze at the camera, claiming agency over their own gender.
“I think we feel a strong responsibility to do justice to the people who have generously shared their stories and experiences,” McConnell Simpson added.
“The debate can be really polarised and… the voices of gender non-conforming people get lost. So we wanted to provide a space for calm conversation rather than shouting at each other.”
The exhibition combined modern and historical artefacts to create an inclusive exploration into gender
To root the exhibition within Bristol, the team spoke to LGBTQIA+ communities within the city.
While there is a sense of today’s radicalism from Bristol’s young queer scene, there are also references to important figures from Bristol’s history, such as trans pioneer Michael Dillon.
“We’re the museum service for the whole of Bristol and we felt it was really important that we send a strong signal of respect, inclusion and welcome to everybody,” said McConnell Simpson.
After it closes at Bristol Museum in October, the exhibition will tour to museums in Brighton and Liverpool, where it will morph to fit the community of each city.
While the Brighton team have focused more on women and spoke to an older women’s football group, the Liverpool team have put more focus on art and collaborated with a men’s mental health organisation.
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“We’re ready to have conversations with people who disagree with the content,” McConnell Simpson told Bristol24/7.
“The idea isn’t to put forward any one view; it’s to create a space for conversation. We’re very aware that it’s a tricky topic and a lot of people feel very vulnerable at the moment.”
“We certainly feel a responsibility to keep the space welcoming and respectful.”
Gender Stories is at Bristol Museum from May 31 to October 12. For more information, visit www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/bristol-museum-and-art-gallery/gender-stories
All photos: Rob Browne
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