Feminine power: the divine to the demonic
I caught the last day of the beautiful ‘Feminine power’ exhibition at The British Museum. An exploration of female figures who have been worshipped across world cultures and religions from ancient times to today. Lilith, Circe, Aphrodite, Athena, Hekate, Sekhmet and Medusa.
Bringing together sculptures, sacred objects and artworks from the ancient world to today, and from six continents, the exhibition highlighted the many faces of feminine power – ferocious, beautiful, creative or hell-bent – and its seismic influence throughout time.
Particularly beautiful was the wooden Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and my personal favourite, thanks to writer Madeline Miller, ‘Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses’, above, an oil painting by John William Waterhouse created in 1891.
Although a brief exhibition, it packed a punch – including an enlargement of the gemstone engraving depicting The Fall and The Witches’ Sabbath from 1510.
Perth based humanitarian Rabia Siddique featured as one of five strong global female voices on Feminine Power and writes:
“We need to embrace the full breadth and measure of our power in all of its multi-dimensions, to be willing and able to be life-givers, to be mothers, but also to be lionesses and warriors, to be advocates, to be change agents.”
