Contemporary representations of the female body are inevitably affected by the various identities that interact in the construction of the self. For this exhibition, six artists are invited to share their untold stories, which are grounded in their diverse cultural perspectives. Each of them creates universes that defy the traditional canons of womanhood, often while being critical of traditional patriarchal roles in society. Shifting identities and communal support among women are expressed in the use of metaphors that are presented through self-portraiture, still life, collage, painting, and sculpture, to make room for more complex constructions of gender and possibilities of being.

The participating artists come from differing global perspectives, yet they often coincide and embrace the importance of the revelatory act in constructing their contemporary representations of the female body. The six artists’ works move beyond taboos to talk about memory, reality, illusion, resilience, desire, and power. They underscore that the traditional canons of womanhood have limitations far short of depicting the surplus of being in the present day.