An earlier iteration of the exhibition with different artists was recently presented at the Gippsland Art Gallery.

The Ararat presentation of 'The f Word: Contemporary Feminist Art in Australia' features artists Kate Beynon, Karen Buczynski-Lee, Destiny Deacon, Laurene Dietrich, Eliza-Jane Gilchrist, Janice Gobey, Georgia MacGuire, Robyn Massey, Caroline Phillips, Louise Saxton, Inez de Vega and Lyndal Walker.

To complement this exhibition, works from the gallery's collection, which reflects the experiences of women artists and feminist viewpoints and concerns, have been selected for the associated exhibition, 'Feminism and the Permanent Collection'.

The gallery holds a unique repository of women's art from the 1970s and 1980s, mostly made from textile and fibre materials.

Some of these works capture the spirit of the times when women artists challenged historically male dominated fields, such as painting and sculpture, through bold artistic gestures in yarn and cloth.

The legacy of these pioneering times continues to influence contemporary women artists today, and a consideration of this recent history is reflected in a number of works featured in 'The f Word'.

Representing the work of an earlier generation of women artists provides a valuable context to the appreciation of contemporary art today.

This is where the gallery's rare and unique collection often comes into its own.

'Feminism and the Permanent Collection' features the artists Cresside Collette, Lois Densham, Jutta Feddersen, Tass Mavrogordato, Annemieke Mein and Ewa Pachuka with works which date from 1974 to 1993.

It will be exhibited alongside 'The f Word' until October 12.

Anthony Camm

Director

Ararat Regional Art Gallery