[Power K-Women] "A 'Space' Was Needed to Publicize Gender Discrimination in the Art World"

Active 'Me Too' Movement in the Art World... Fundamental Issues Remain Unresolved
Networking Group Established in 2020 to Address Sexual Violence and Corruption in the Art Community
Convincing That Artists Can Solve Problems Through Systems and Groups
Focus on Connections and Relationships Leading to Changes in Artistic Work

Editor's NoteAsia Economy has selected women active in various fields both domestically and internationally as 'Power K-Women' and plans to announce them at the ‘2023 Women Leaders Forum’ to be held on October 24th at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul. These women leaders have broken or transcended barriers such as gender, race, disability, and poverty to create new and universal values. Their stories will offer comfort to a weary world and serve as role models for others, empowering communities to move forward. We introduce candidates for Power K-Women who have stood up against discrimination without shrinking back or being confined by boundaries.

"There are times when I cannot speak about problems I have personally experienced because I think 'the other party might feel uncomfortable.' A space where one can speak comfortably must be established so that we can ask and answer each other about how to solve problems."

In 2016, on social networking services (SNS), sexual violence and harassment in the art world were exposed through hashtags such as '#SexualViolence_in_the_ArtWorld.' Along with the 'Me Too' movement, distorted gender discrimination culture across society was brought to public attention. However, the problem was not fundamentally resolved. Perpetrators did not take responsibility and continued to work as professors and artists. Secondary victimization, where victims were blamed, also followed.

She could not ignore the visible problems. Yeonjin Oh, CEO of Louise the Women, said, "While working as an artist, I repeatedly raised issues about why the art world still handles problems related to women so complacently. The more I did, the more I felt like an 'uncomfortable person,' and I worried about potential disadvantages coming my way."

She explained, "When entering art college, women overwhelmingly outnumber men, but as careers grow or positions with decision-making power are reached, the gender ratio sharply declines. Without receiving proper opportunities at the right time and suffering from low-paid labor, in the end, men remain dominant. In the society called the 'art world,' connections and reputation play important roles, and this acts as an obstacle for sexual violence victims to disclose their experiences."

There were limits to raising her voice alone. Female artists who shared the awareness of the problem concretized the discussion. In 2020, they launched the networking organization Louise the Women to respond to sexual violence and injustice in the art world. CEO Oh stated, "When individuals experiencing structural discrimination are isolated, it is easy to find the problem within themselves. It was important to have the mindset that 'we can speak about problems and demand solutions.' People within the same art world have a shared responsibility to jointly solve structural problems occurring around them."

Convincing art workers, who tend to value individual autonomy and avoid group activities, was also important. Artists had to present alternatives showing that problems could be solved through systems and collectives. Oh said, "Concerns arose that organizations could become authoritarian and oppress individuals unilaterally. However, any achievement or change requires organizations and systems. Without a system, people just gather to complain about problems and then stop." This is why she emphasizes to her colleagues that "a system is a continuously renewing process."

Currently, Louise the Women includes over 230 female artists active in various visual art fields. They also support the growth of artists. They hold various events such as work and portfolio reviews, podcast, YouTube, newsletter content production, and online conferences. Recently, considering that most members are freelancers, they held a lecture explaining 'how to file comprehensive income tax returns.'

"Louise the Women has about ten executives who handle member and accounting management, regular program operation, and promotion. Various projects conducted from time to time are led by participants of individual projects," explained CEO Oh. Members range in age from those born in the 1970s to the 2000s, but recently, those born in the 1990s who have experienced university life are the majority. Despite busy daily lives involving studies, work, and personal art projects, they carve out time to enhance the community's dynamism and strive for results. Thus, Louise the Women has been recognized for providing a safer space for female artists to work and contributing to the spread of gender-equal culture in the art world.

CEO Oh is not only the head of Louise the Women but also an artist and a company employee working as a user experience (UX) designer. She works with film and photography materials, adhering to analog processes conducted in a darkroom rather than digital prints. Depending on the angle and duration of light projection, a single image can produce various results. As Louise the Women’s activities continued, changes occurred in her personal creative process.

"Before Louise the Women, I often connected abstract concepts within my work. Running Louise the Women and continuously witnessing people meeting each other made me realize 'people can connect like this' and 'such diverse relationships can be formed.' This has opened another world in my creative process," she said.

When asked about the difficulties she feels running a leading female community in the domestic art world, CEO Oh replied, "Louise the Women recruits members in cohorts. In the early days when we recruited the 1st and 2nd cohorts, the burden was heavy. There were many issues to solve, but I had no experience organizing people, so it was confusing. Now, I feel gratitude toward the people I work with rather than that burden." Recently, Louise the Women conducted open calls and gender equality education for the 4th cohort members.

Louise the Women encourages members to voluntarily plan and implement projects. To this end, they held a 'collaboration skills enhancement' workshop and provided education on role allocation and setting goals. When individual project teams are formed, financial support is provided for related activities.

CEO Oh introduced an upcoming individual project at Louise the Women called the 'Regional Female Artists Network.' This networking activity aims to connect artists or curators working outside the metropolitan area. She said, "Many art activities are centered in Seoul. People graduate from universities or graduate schools in Seoul, hold exhibitions there, and build relationships. Because of this, those working in other regions tend not to receive attention." She added, "Female regional artists within Louise the Women will lead a project to improve this issue."

▶CEO Yeonjin Oh

Born in 1993, CEO Oh holds a bachelor's degree in Visual Design from Seoul National University’s College of Design and a master's degree in Formative Arts from Korea National University of Arts. She held solo exhibitions such as 'The Very Eye of Night' in 2020 and 'Lace' in 2019. From 2018 to 2020, she participated in numerous exhibitions including the Seoul Photo Festival special exhibition 'Walking. Jumping. Speaking. Writing.' and 'Live Forever.' She has served as CEO of Louise the Women since its launch in 2020.