Comic: See it to Believe it

I’ve been thinking about this ever since seeing this exhibit (which was the ‘Women’s Palette 1900-1950’ in De Kunsthal, Rotterdam).

Now, none of this was ‘news’ to me. Of course I know women are underrepresented in art and museums. And of course I’m well aware that so so many groups in society experience being excluded and not being represented well enough in many and more important areas of society. I know all this (and probably don’t know half of it, still).

But I guess it took tearing up at the sight of these women, professional artists, depicted in their studios, to realize that I too had fitted myself into a box I didn’t know was placed inside me. I honestly think, had I seen this exhibit as a little girl, my life may have gone differently. And I don’t even remember making this choice or ever verbalizing it.

I guess that’s the lesson I’ve learned: you can try to be aware of privilege or the patriarchal system all you want - it’s even more deeply ingrained than you think, and it’s causing us as a society to lose out on so much beauty.