Console Ban Mai

Organised into four thematic sections, the exhibition traces the ways women have navigated and reshaped their public and private identities over time. ‘Best Foot Forward’ examines the carefully curated personas and the public-facing images created by women appearing at court or onstage from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. ‘Celebrity’ presents paintings, photographs and fashion commemorating notable Australian women working in music, cinema, literature, sport, chemistry, design and theatre. ‘Independence and Empowerment’ focuses on artists who use their work to reclaim power and autonomy, challenging societal expectations of gender. ‘Embodied Histories’ foregrounds First Nations and culturally diverse artists whose works challenge colonial portrayals of identity.