A museum in Australia has moved Picasso’s artworks to a women’s restroom, skirting a discrimination complaint by a male visitor who couldn’t enter an exhibit where the works were previously hung.
The Original Installation: ‘Ladies Lounge’
Two paintings and a drawing by Pablo Picasso were originally featured in American artist and museum curator Kirsha Kaechele’s “Ladies Lounge” installation at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Opened in December 2020, this exhibit was designed exclusively for women, providing a lavish space to enjoy art alongside “decadent nibbles, fancy tipples, and other ladylike pleasures” served by a male butler.
Kaechele explained the concept: “Denying men entry to the mysterious room was indeed part of the art — giving them a taste of the discrimination and exclusion many women have experienced through history.”
Tribunal Ruling and the Move
The exhibit faced legal challenges when MONA was ordered to stop refusing entry to “persons who do not identify as ladies” by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in April. The tribunal found that the show violated Australia’s 1998 Anti-Discrimination Act. Jason Lau, a visitor from New South Wales, filed the complaint after being barred from entering the exhibit on April 1, 2023. “He felt strongly enough about this to file a complaint with Equal Opportunities Tasmania,” according to the tribunal’s notes.
In response to the ruling, Kaechele relocated the Picasso pieces to an upgraded restroom within the museum, aptly named the “Ladies Room.” She said in an email, “While the Ladies Lounge undergoes a series of reforms to meet the exemptions required for reopening, I’ve been redecorating. I thought a few of the bathrooms in the museum could do with an update. Some Cubism in the cubicles.”
The New ‘Ladies Room’
The newly created “Ladies Room” features the Picasso artworks alongside a fully functional toilet, making it a unique space within the museum. Kaechele highlighted this change on Instagram, sharing videos and images of the relocated works and noting that the gendered restroom was a first for the museum. She encouraged “all ladies” to enjoy the new exhibition.
Kaechele also commented on the historical significance of the change: “We never had female toilets at MONA before; they were all unisex. But then the Ladies Lounge had to close thanks to a man’s lawsuit. And I didn’t know what to do with all those Picassos…”
Future of the ‘Ladies Lounge’
Despite the closure of the original exhibit, Kaechele expressed her intention to challenge the court’s decision in the state’s Supreme Court. She explores various possibilities for reviving the “Ladies Lounge” concept, including finding loopholes under Section 27 of the Anti-Discrimination Act, which lists exceptions for when gender discrimination might be permitted. In the interim, the lounge remains closed to avoid opening to men.
Kaechele discussed potential plans for the “Ladies Lounge” in a Q&A published on the museum’s website, considering reimagining the space as a church, school, or toilet to fit within legal exemptions.
A Unique Artistic Approach
The relocation of Picasso artworks to the museum’s “Ladies Room” underscores Kaechele’s innovative approach to art and the ongoing dialogue about gender discrimination. As the museum navigates legal challenges and seeks to create inclusive spaces, the exhibits’ artistic integrity and provocative nature continue to spark conversation and reflection.
