Negotiating Feminist Positions in the 1980 Exhibition På Vej: Women Architects in Denmark Envision a More Equitable Future
Author(s): |
Svava Riesto
Henriette Steiner |
---|---|
Medium: | journal article |
Language(s): | English |
Published in: | Architectural Histories, 25 January 2024, n. 1, v. 12 |
DOI: | 10.16995/ah.10701 |
Abstract: |
The socially and environmentally engaged feminist architectural practices of the 1970s and 1980s seem more relevant than ever as the building industry continues to fuel spatial, social, economic and ecological injustices. Those decades saw the emergence of feminist architectural exhibitions, the most well known today being Women in American Architecture: A Historic and Contemporary Perspective, held at the Brooklyn Museum in New York in 1977. Another example is the lesser- known Danish exhibition På Vej (On the Way) of 1980. Launched as part of the United Nations’ Decade for Women, it drew large numbers of visitors and international attention. First shown in Copenhagen, the collectively curated exhibition later travelled to the Danish cities of Aarhus and Hjørring. In this article, we contextualize this exhibition and examine its planning process, curatorial choices and accompanying publication. Moreover, we show that rather than presenting a unified feminist statement, På Vej negotiated various feminist concerns. In doing so, we highlight not only diverse positions and possibilities, but also the tensions and challenges that feminist architectural and curatorial practices of the time engaged with, posing questions about gender and collaboration that are still relevant today. |
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10809919 - Published on:
17/01/2025 - Last updated on:
17/01/2025