Collaborative Sheilas find powerful, creative voice

THE Handmaid’s Tale television series sees fifty-two children rescued by plane.

In a new exhibition at the Backspace Gallery, Feeling Good, 52 women artists have explored the TV show and book’s feminist and dystopian themes through a range of mixed mediums.

This three-year-old loose collective is called Sheilas, uniting female Ballarat creatives of all ages and experiences, from 11 to 80-plus.

Coordinator, Lynne Makings said the determined artists have worked in teams of three or four to present a show of whole, meaningful artworks, and for some ladies, it’s their debut exhibition.

“The group is an attempt to give women confidence to show artwork and an attempt to get artists to work collaboratively in a manner where they can come up with a resolved work that addresses the issues of The Handmaid’s Tale,” she said.

“Women can work collaboratively. They have that ability to support each other. The groups have trusted the process, came through with joy in their hearts, they’ve learnt about each other, but probably more particularly about themselves.”

With young school students, an embryologist, a doctor of fine arts, a performance poet, a professional photographer, an intercultural ambassador, a curator, an indigenous family, and more all part of Sheilas, artist Magdalena Kaźmierczak said women like these don’t get enough exposure.

“There are many more women finishing art studies. Then in galleries there is 60 per cent men, and the numbers of how many women are finishing and how many men are showing is completely opposite,” she said.

“There’s still that stereotype of artists being drunks, but no one thinks of us as mothers, grandmothers, children, teenagers, and that we’re able to do art and that we can have a voice to say something for us.”

Photographer, Rebecca Nicolandos said the inclusive group provides an opportunity for feedback, something not experienced when working on a solo project.

“You’re able to meet with different women of different ages. The collaboration is really good in that respect because everyone has to nurture each other, look after each other but also give some feedback, so it can become a seamless, standalone work,” Ms Nicolandos said.

For more information about joining Sheilas contact Lynne Makings via email at [email protected]. Backspace Gallery is accessible from the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s Lydiard Street entrance.