OXFORD.- The first major retrospective of Swedish artist, activist, writer and eco-feminist Monica Sjöö (1938-2005) opens at Modern Art Oxford this November. Art, politics and spirituality are inseparable in Sjöö’s work, in which she advocates for gender justice, eco-feminism, matriarchy and social equity. The Great Cosmic Mother presents over 50 artworks from her 40-year career inspired by her deep commitment to women’s rights and environmentalism from the late 1960s to early 2000s, as well as political posters and banners, drawings and archival material.
An unwavering advocate of freedom from oppression in all its forms, Sjöö was an influential figure in the Women’s Liberation Movement in the UK. This exhibition showcases her large-scale paintings created in response to the women’s issues and political groups she campaigned for in the late 1960s to early 1980s. These include consciousness-raising activities for the Women's Liberation Movement in Bristol to end violence against women, and campaigning for women’s right to abortion and sexual autonomy, as well as for wages for housework, as seen in Back Street Abortion – Women Seeking Freedom from Oppression (1968), House-Wives (1973) and Our Bodies Ourselves (1974). Her manifesto ‘Towards a Revolutionary Feminist Art’ (1971) and collectively organised exhibitions of women artists during this period also laid the foundations for the British feminist art movement and contributed to the development of women’s art internationally.
Monica Sjöö was controversial throughout her life, and her works are challenging to this day. She used raw and bold imagery to create figurative portrayals of women’s lives, work and struggles. Her painting God Giving Birth (1968) is a feminist icon inspired by Sjöö’s deeply spiritual experience of giving birth to her second son. However, when it was shown in the UK in the 1970s the painting repeatedly provoked strong reactions and Sjöö was threatened with prosecution for obscenity many times.
An intensely spiritual person, Sjöö was also involved in the Goddess movement and frequently visited and painted ancient sites close to where she lived in Bristol, such as the Neolithic monuments at
Avebury in Wiltshire. Sjöö’s commitment to women’s liberation and environmentalism were inseparable from her spiritual belief that everything was connected. Her writing and publications on ‘The Great Mother’ were the result of lifelong research on prehistoric female figures in various cultures and religions across the world. She co-authored ‘The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth’ (1976), a publication that became formative to radical Goddess feminism circles in the UK and US.
In the 1980s arms race, the peace movement was revitalised and Sjöö became involved in anti-nuclear protests and several political grassroots campaigns. She took part in the Women for Life on Earth march from Cardiff to Greenham Common in 1981, making a banner for the women's peace camp at Greenham which she later stretched to create the painting Lunar Child of the Sea (1981).
Sjöö participated in peace marches and occupations, protesting nuclear weapons at Greenham Common and RAF Brawdy in Wales. A vitrine of Sjöö’s collection of song books, newspaper clippings and posters relating to the Greenham Common Peace Camp, along with photographs and archival footage, illustrates Sjöö’s involvement in this richly creative period of second wave feminism.
Sjöö’s artworks were a pioneering form of environmental activism and anticipated politically urgent debates surrounding the climate emergency today. Presenting artworks interspersed with archival documents and personal artefacts, the exhibition seeks to inspire visitors to reflect how they can find creative expression in all aspects of their lives.
Monica Sjöö: The Great Cosmic Mother is curated by Jo Widoff, Moderna Museet, and Amy Budd, Modern Art Oxford, in collaboration with Moderna Museet, Stockholm and Moderna Museet Malmö, Sweden where it is showing from 13 May – 18 October 2023 and 23 March – 8 September 2024 respectively. Tickets for the exhibition will be available on a pay more/pay less basis with prices ranging from £6-12. An extensive catalogue will be published for the exhibition, with essays by Jennie Klein, Amy Tobin and Annika Öhrner, texts by the artists Olivia Plender, Jill Smith and Lucy Stein, and reprints of texts by Monica Sjöö.
Modern Art Oxford
Monica Sjöö: The Great Cosmic Mother
November 18th, 2023 - February 25th, 2024
