Sarah Maple was told: “We didn’t need feminism anymore!”

Award wining British artist, Sarah Maple, has opened up about her inspirations and intentions through provocative art work.

In a recent interview about her latest exhibition: ‘The Opposite of a Feminist’, Sarah highlighted the importance of feminism. The exhibit is displayed at the Giant gallery in Bournemouth from the 15^th of November until the 13^th of February.

Bournemouth artist, Stuart Semple, approached Sarah about wishing to display her art. She said that: “He felt that the residents of Bournemouth needed to see it!”.

Sarah Maple’s inspirations

The exhibition showcases Sarah’s artwork from the past 14 years. Through which she tackles the topic of feminism.

She explained: “Feminism has always been an extremely important topic for me with my experiences at art school when I noticed how differently male and female students were treated”.

Sarah noted how interesting it is to focus on different feminist angles and watch her art grow. “When I started out in art, feminism was such a dirty word. I kept being told we didn’t need feminism anymore!”.

The artist expressed how humour is really important. She added: “It’s a great feeling to make people laugh but also get a point across.”

Publics response towards Sarah Maple’s artwork

Sarah shared how the piece ‘Signs’ has bought her a great deal of attention online. She realised that “there was definitely space in the art world for art that is political and funny and by a woman!”.

The video performance ‘Freedom of Speech’ is her personal favourite. In the video she talks about why she makes feminist work whilst someone slaps her across the face throughout the performance. At the end she unexpectedly breaks down. Sarah commented that she likes the ‘loss of control’ and ‘surprising moments’ that come from performance art.

Future Plans

Sarah hopes to return to Bournemouth again with a new project. An idea she wishes to explore is Motherhood, which is “a whole other feminist minefield to tackle!”.

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