Artist’s controversial exhibition causes a stir

An artistic examination of how women are exposed to “casual misogyny” in society’s everyday messaging.

Artist Michelle Hamer is signalling some worrying behaviours in the way women are treated.

Art lovers attending an exhibition opening at Noosa Regional Gallery were confronted with an in-your-face roadside LED sign outside declaring: “There is no threat”.

And then streaming across the electronic display came: “I’m just being friendly” followed by “You chicks are all the same”.

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The sign is all part of Michelle Hamer’s new exhibition Are You Having a Good Night? which looks to highlight how women are exposed to “casual misogyny” in society’s everyday messaging.

Gallery director Michael Brennan said this exhibition scene-setter surprised local gallery visitors with its uncomfortable messages with more to come inside.

The artworks of Michelle Hamer now showing in Noosa.

“And that is precisely the point,” Mr Brennan said.

“The exhibition explores the prevalence of threatening language in urban landscapes – in particular that which is directed towards women,” he said.

Inside were Ms Hamer’s hand-stitched works calling out the language commonly encountered in public spaces and in everyday interactions.

“I began photographing the glitched signage from freeways because the glowing messages feel like they were just for me,” she said.

“The more I translated them into stitched works, the more I noticed the language around me. The language we use matters,” Ms Hamer said.

“The utter ‘everyday-ness’ of threats, embedded power and the irony and complexity of language is so embedded (in our culture), there is no escape.”

Mr Brennan said the artist’s primary interest is in how language portrayed in the urban environment as “harmless fun” impacts in ways not necessarily intended.

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