As Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the US on Friday, 80 women artists will be taking over a gallery in lower Manhattan to display artwork fueled by anger and rage. In response to Trump's election, Indira Cesarine, the curator and founder of The Untitled Space, invited women to submit pieces in response to an open call. She received an overwhelming 1,800 works reacting to the current social and political atmosphere.
The resulting exhibition, Uprise/Angry Women, isn't just an expression of unified female dissent against Trump and the American political system. It's a way of challenging how women's anger is portrayed and subsequently used against them. Women who show anger, or any similarly strong emotion, are commonly characterized as psycho, crazy, or bitchy—terms that insist such feelings are ugly, undesirable, and unfeminine.
But rage, as the show proves, can be used in a positive way. The artists hope that their anger will have a very real impact on Trump's government: A portion of the proceeds made from sales will go towards ERA Coalition, an organization that works with Congress to fight for women's equality.
Broadly spoke to some of the women artists participating in Uprise/Angry Womento ask why they feel anger is important at a time like this and how it could be used to instigate political action.
Read more on Broadly
Advertisement