No men in the ladies lounge

CONTROVERSY AT AUSTRALIA’S MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART

There is a magical place on the island of Tasmania where the only men allowed inside are butlers to serve the women. This place is the Ladies Lounge of Australia’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The Lounge is a conceptual artwork space where only those who identify as women are allowed inside. The creator of the lounge is American artist, Kirsha Kaechele. She created the space as a response to the fact that in Australia women were confined to only drink in designated lounges instead of in public spaces up until 1970. This museum contains many unique art exhibits including a wall of sculpted vulvas based on actual women. This lounge is supposed to be a safe space where women can go to enjoy art, be pampered, and enjoy drinks and food. I am definitely adding this to my Australia travel list!

Earlier this week, a man got very upset for not being able to go into the Ladies Lounge. His name is Jason Lau and he argued before the state’s civil and administrative tribunal that the lounge violated anti-discrimination laws by keeping him and the rest of his gender out. The exclusion of men from this lounge is part of the art itself. It is intended to raise awareness on how women were discriminated against and excluded from places in Australia’s not too distant past. While this may seem like it could be recreating forms of discrimination, I think it makes a great point of reenacting the old private lounges where women were confined to and instead making it a place where women prefer to go to enjoy themselves and look at artwork that makes them feel seen and appreciated.

A lawyer representing MONA states that discrimination is legally permitted when it is designed to promote equal opportunity for a group of people (women) who are disadvantaged. Kaechele said that if she has to then she will move her exhibit to another venue, but she will not let men in, she says it is just not happening. The men’s experience of rejection is a form of the artwork. It is meant to highlight the exclusion and discrimination that women have experienced in the past and continue to experience to this day.

I think that the Ladies Lounge is an excellent form of displaying feminism while also being able to show beautiful art. It is no secret that women feel safe in a room full of other women. It is a rare thing to be able to celebrate being a woman, around only women, while also enjoying a lounge full of the world’s fine art and being pampered with fine food and champagne. I love how Kaechele turns the tables on the discrimination that women have experienced in the past and now gives women the joy of being in the lounge instead of being confined to it based on their gender.

MONA’s lawyer Catherine Scott says “So we’re looking at the role that art can play in promoting equal opportunity, and the law doesn’t deal well with that. Mona’s case is that art can be a really powerful medium in promoting equal opportunity by not just experience, but by conversation, and specifically redressing the past exclusion of women.”

You can’t help but laugh at the irony of the man who got denied going to the law to try and gain entry into what is literally named “The Ladies Lounge”. I look forward to seeing what Kaechele has in store for the future of MONA and the Ladies Lounge in regards to its fresh take on combatting discrimination and curating amazing, provocative art.