The show is the “Every Woman Biennial,” the theme is “I Will Always Love You” — and the mood is just plain joyous.
Created in 2014 by artist C. Finley as the “Whitney Houston Biennial,” the show’s fifth iteration features over 200 artists and covers every bit of the wall space, some of the floor and a bit of the ceiling at the La MaMa Galleria in the East Village. Designed as a celebration of the works of women and non-binary artists, the show’s public opening on March 2 brought in over 2,000 people — most of whom waited in the pouring rain before getting in.
The team of Jerelyn Huber, Molly Caldwell and Eddy Segal curated the show, considering more than 700 entries (the most ever) and digging into the artists as well, according to Huber.
“We took it very personally,” she said. “We researched their websites and social media and got a good idea of who they were. It was a joy to go through the work.”
The process began in September 2023 with an open call and resulted in submissions from artists in a variety of backgrounds, mediums and ages, with the finalists ranging in age from 14 to 83.
Finley took a step back this year and did not involve herself in the curating process and she’s very happy with the results: “I’m hoping that this can live on as a template to be replicated in other cities, so I wanted to see if it was possible with new curators. The answer is yes!”
“The quality of the work keeps getting better,” she continues. “We keep finding people that have never shown before and the work feels fresh, more intense and more thoughtful.”
She notes that a lot of the work is self-portraiture, probably as a result of the introspection brought on during the pandemic.
Savannah Spirit is showing two versions of “Mother Daughter,” one still photography and one video.
“It’s an homage to my mother, who died on my 43rd birthday,” she explains. “I photograph myself in her clothes and hairstyles, recreating images that I have of her from the 60s, 70s and 80s. It’s a way to repurpose the pain.”
Nearby, Valerie George presented a beautiful photogram of her own hand letting her mother’s ashes fall away.
Ella Rose explained that her “Soft Armor” is a “self-portrait in my wearable sculpture, aimed to capture the bodily response to the violence of sexual assault. This experience is shared with an overwhelming number of women I deeply love, and by those I will never meet.” Her experience at the Biennial — her first time in the show — was “an absolutely amazing experience! The strong vibe of sisterhood. … It was pretty f***ing powerful. It was so special to be part of it.”
Deb DiGregorio and her partner Marilyn Savoia were overwhelmed by the spirit in the room the minute they walked in the door (with soaking wet feet, they noted) .
“Marilyn couldn’t stop taking about how it reminded her of the 70s”, DiGregorio said. “There was a whole lot of energy on the walls but it was nothing compared to the energy in the room — it was astonishing.”
One of the best parts of the show for curator Segal, who created the red mobile hanging in the center of the room, was the Talisman display to which many of the artists in the show voluntarily contributed.
“We invited them to create something to be sold to benefit the show and the artists responded with gusto!” Segal said. “It was really wonderful — some of the artists bought each others’ work. It was a beautiful exchange between everyone.”
Huber has a few hopes for future shows — like more art in a bigger space — but for now has a pretty simple goal for the present one.
“I hope that everyone who comes through that door leaves with a great sense of joy,” she says. “I hope it feeds their soul as much as it has mine”.
Information about the show, including upcoming events such as performances and workshops, can be found online at everywomanbiennial.com and on Instagram at @everywomanbiennial.
