Femfest [London]

Sweet ‘Art’s femfest was borne from our missions and values and
identifying a need for arts festivals to focus on and privilege the
voices and experiences of those identifying as women. We have selected
an array of performance artists, filmmakers, visual artists, makers
and designers to be featured throughout the festival, which aims to
showcase artists in a range of ways and through various platforms from
a contemporary exhibition, to interactive performance pieces and maker
fair.

femfest will open with a short film night, with a selection of films
chosen by emerging curator Christine Pungong, exploring a multitude of
themes such as female abjection, desire, friendship, trauma, assault
and misogynoir ­ though each in very distinct ways.

The festival continues with our contemporary visual art exhibition,
held over 3 floors and showcasing the work of 70 visual artists
exploring themes of feminine identity with work that celebrates,
critiques and challenges what we think of as “female”; artists such as
Karen Byrne use sculptural forms to critique representations of the
female form in culture, Agnes Eva Molnar creates humerous photographic
tributes to feminist groups, and painter Fabienne Jenny Jacquet
creates semi­abstract works diarizing her experience of misogyny.

Live art performances will be ongoing throughout the duration of the
exhibition. Among others, Rub being performed by artist Amanda Struver
questions societal expectations of female pleasure, sensuality, and
maternity. The Existential Plumber’s Collective will present

the Existentialist Plumbers’ Parlour, where in comfortable and chic
surroundings, along with a soothing soundtrack of flushing toilets, an
audience will be invited to an intimate and contemplative reading
experience of their Plumbers’ Digest.

Sweet ‘Art will also be producing issue 2 of their Sweet ‘Art zine, a
participatory artwork, to be made in collaboration with visitors to
the exhibition, alongside an immersive installation created by artist
Freya Nash featuring Sweet ‘Art’s zine and feminist book library.
Self­publications have a long history of political resistance, with
movements such as the Riot Grrrl movement, with women producing zines
with radical and feminist content. The femfest zine workshop will
allow audiences to express their responses to the artwork on show, as
well as contributing their own ideas to the themes of the exhibition
and will grow organically throughout the festival’s duration.

For one day only, Sweet ‘Art will also be hosting femfair, a market
for 30 female or non­binary identifying artists, designers and makers
selling work to visitors. Stands include artists Jess de Wahls, who
will be selling a selection of her feminist felt portraits, and klaus
is koming who recently exhibited as part of the Coming Out exhibition
at the Walker Art Gallery.

Join us for our art party, which will be a fun­filled night including
all of the above, as well as DJ’s, drinks courtesy of our sponsor
Fentimans, goody bags and the notorious vagina cup cakes.

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