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Hannah O'SheaHannah O’Shea (born 1939) trained as a sculptor at Goldsmiths in the 1960s, later exhibiting and teaching under her middle name, Mary. In the 1970s, when she was studying at the Slade, she began to work in time-based media and performance. O’Shea was an active feminist and was one of the founder members of the Women Artists’ Collective. In 1976-77 O’Shea made the iconic durational performance, A Litany for Women Artists, where she chanted the names of women artists in an action to reclaim them for history. Her works often display an ironic nod towards Christian iconography and religious rites, pointing at the role of women in everyday personal and professional life. In her Super-8 film and live art work, A Visual Time-Span (A Visual Diary) 1974-77, filmed performances are collaged with footage of women’s liberation and gay rights demonstrations. An image from this work, depicting a performer’s body painted by O’Shea with optical effects comparable to animal markings, was used as the cover image for a famous issue of Spare Rib magazine with the subtitle of ‘Disturbing Images of Women’.
O’Shea will be represented by two images from A Visual Time Span in the exhibition at Tate Britain, Women in Revolt! (8 Nov 2023 7 Apr 2024). She is also currently represented in Women’s Works: artists working in 1970s & 80s London at England & Co’s project space in the Sotheran’s Building (10 October – 24 November 2023).
Photography
16 x 20 ins
Silver bromide photograph
This work was used as cover image for Spare Rib magazine in 1977.
