“More peace, less stranger danger,” might seem like a surprising sentiment coming from Kirsha Kaechele, the vigilante curator and artist behind the lavish Ladies Lounge at Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).
However, that’s exactly what her hopes are, she tells marie claire ahead of the Women of the Year Awards , as she closes out a raucously rebellious year that had part of the world enraged, another part enthralled, by her performance art.
Kaechele made headlines in March when her women-only space, intended to create a haven for female-identifying visitors and offer men a taste of their own medicine, faced closure due to an anti-discrimination case.
A man denied entry filed a complaint, and Tasmania’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled in his favour, giving Kaechele 28 days to allow men in or close the space. Instead of compliance, Kaechele chose to innovate.
She considered options like turning the space into a school or church – both exempt from gender discrimination – but ultimately decided to move the valuable artworks to the bathroom and rebranded it The Ladies Room.
In a twist, she revealed that her famous Picassos were her own creations (faux-cassos, if you will) and announced she would be taking the discrimination ruling to Tasmania’s Supreme Court.
On September 27, images of Kaechele and her supporters adorned in pearls and red lipstick celebrating outside the court flooded Instagram after the Supreme Court overturned the earlier ruling, declaring the Ladies Lounge non-discriminatory and directing the matter be reconsidered. “What I’m most proud of is sparking peaceful debate at such a divisive time,” declared Kaechele.
“It’s easy to take sides, but listening with an open heart is truly beautiful.” With a fierce grin, she added, “And it’s been fantastic to completely fucking overthrow the patriarchy.”
Kaechele’s advice to aspiring creatives? “Don’t worry about impostor syndrome, we all have it, big deal. Just do it anyway. Follow your joy, have fun,
take the piss. Dream, and then just witness and allow them to come true. Remember, we’re going to die, so have a good time!”
marie claire’s 2024 Women of the Year Awards are presented by Swarovski and supported by Volvo, Max Mara, Revlon, Dr Lewinns and G.H. Mumm.
