The women in Kathrin Longhurst’s paintings tell a story of bold defiance. Among them you will find the adventurer, the trailblazer, and the fighter, but no wallflower. “All through art history we’ve had men painting women as decorative objects,” she says. “[I’m] reclaiming that domain of painting women, and painting them in a way that is empowering, where other women can relate and see themselves. Because what you can’t see you can’t be.”
Just don’t call them portraits. Longhurst has a history with portraiture, as a finalist for numerous Archibald prizes and winner of the 2021 Archibald Packing Room Prize with a portrait of Kate Cebrano. But this new body of work is firmly rooted in figurative painting and storytelling, rather than straight depiction. “The models are there to express narrative. I use their likeness to create a story.”
With vintage military jackets and aviator goggles, you may think the story is one of warfare, and you wouldn’t be far off. “As a woman, you are on the frontlines. You’re on a battlefield. You’re fighting against inequality and not having access to certain things.” This use of symbolism stems from a deep affinity with propaganda art. “I grew up in East Germany, so my childhood was heavily influenced by socialist realism. Art in a socialist country is there to educate and explain the ideology. Now I use the symbolism and imagery to throw things on its head, and use the language of propaganda art to further my own cause.”
Women to the Front coincides with International Women’s Day, and Longhurst hopes the audience will take away “a renewed interest in womens’ stories, recognising their resilience and their strength. And celebrating them for their incredible contributions to society”.
Women to the Front
Kathrin Longhurst
Flinders Lane Gallery
5—27 March
This article was originally published in the March/April 2024 print edition of Art Guide Australia.
Suggested Reading
The ceramics of the Central Desert
Developed in 2022 by Artback NT as part of Apmere Mparntwe—the Australian Ceramics Triennale— touring exhibition Clay on Country, showing now at New England Regional Art Museum, showcases the diversity of ceramics in the Central Desert.
Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
About Face mirrors the alluring world of contemporary portrait painting
About Face is a smart piece of marketing. The new book on portrait painting from Australia and New Zealand has a mission to change buyers’ minds about the field. But as Jane O’Sullivan discovers, any sales pitch wears thin if it’s repeated often enough, and the close attention to how portrait painting is received by the market means that other important conversations fade to the background.
Jane O'Sullivan
Elizabeth Mbitjana Pitijana and inherited influence
In Anmatyerr artist Elizabeth Mbitjana Pitijana’s first solo exhibition in Melbourne—which focuses on the Central Desert food source Arnwekety (bush plum)—the influence and love of her Country and culture is palpable. Elizabeth Mbitjana Pitijana is now showing at Niagara Galleries.
Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
Women love the art world, but does the art world love women?
Even though women currently outnumber men in the arts by two-to-one, the industry remains rife with gender disparities from income to accommodating motherhood. So why, asks Neha Kale, is the growing visibility of female-identifying artists falling short of genuine, material change?
Neha Kale
Ecological art can bring us closer to understanding nature. How does this look in the era of climate change?
Two exhibitions in Sydney are showcasing interdisciplinary research on climate change communicated in artistic ways.
Alexandra Crosby
The immersive storytelling of Leah King-Smith
rhythm wRites, a new exhibition at QUT Art Museum, spans 30 years of Bigambul artist Leah King-Smith’s manifold art practice, covering painting, photography, sound and animation.