Unheard. How the Vulva Is Making Itself Heard Today!

12/10 – 15/12/2024
Rudolf-Scharpf-Galerie

Despite gaining increasing presence and visibility on a motif and linguistic level over the last ten years, entering popular culture with appearances on T-shirts and in music videos, the vulva¹, particularly as the external part of the female genitalia, remains underrepresented and associated with shame and taboo. Therefore, the exhibition Unheard. How the Vulva Is Making Itself Heard Today! aims to align itself with the centuries-long process of valorization and re-appropriation of the vulva. It seeks to illustrate how 21st-century female artists engage with the vulva in a simultaneously serious and playful manner. Operating at the intersection of contemporary art, feminist activism, and educational efforts, the exhibition not only attempts to contribute to the visibility and de-stigmatization of the vulva but also aims to sensitize people to the topic and create empowering moments for visitors. The goal is to appeal to as diverse an audience as possible and, through an interactive accompanying program featuring workshops, readings, and public sexual health consultations, alleviate visitors' shame and fear related to the (own) vulva.

Showing the works of Zara Alexandrova, Amae, Pascale Eiberle, Christiane Fichtner, Sophie Fladt, Bob Jones, Petra Mattheis, Zoë Claire Miller, Rosa Roedelius, Helga Schager, Marina Stiegler, Sophia Süßmilch, Myriam Thyes, Michelle Verhoeks, Betty Wimmer.

Curator: Anne Hörz

Opening 11. October 2024

The exhibition is supported by the Stiftung Rheinland-Pfalz für Kultur and the Stiftung der ehemaligen Stadtsparkasse Ludwigshafen a. Rh.

¹Anatomical excursus: The term vulva denotes the external parts of the reproductive organ, such as the mons pubis, inner and outer labia, clitoris, as well as the urethral and vaginal openings. The vagina, on the other hand, only refers to the internal muscular tube that connects the vulva and uterus. To avoid misunderstandings and linguistic interchangeability, the term Vulvina, coined by social pedagogue Souzan AlSabah, is used whenever the exhibition refers to vulva and vagina as a unit. This term is composed of the terms vulva and ensures a linguistically sensitive approach.