The art history student symposium held at the Whitworth Gallery on 15 November featured a diverse and dynamic collection of presentations, which were conducted by passionate individuals with very different personal interests in art. The event was well organised by Anne Kirkham and Riana Shah and was supported with funding from The Friends of the Whitworth and Claritas to provide some delicious tea and biscuits.
The student presentations began with Sophia Soleimani-Mafi’s discussion of artist Cindy Sherman and her Untitled film still 56 (1980) showing her as a Hollywood star with a Marilyn Monroe hairstyle. Soleimani-Mafi made a powerful connection between the artist’s concern with cinema, appearances and costume, and contemporary criticism of self-presentation on social media, which can differ from reality.
Benedek Jaky discussed art produced under the Hungarian communist regime and the creative censorship across accepted social realist art, tolerated art and banned art, such as by Mêhes László. His painting Lukewarm Water (1970) criticised those who lived comfortably under the regime while most people struggled. Jaky noted an expression of equality where everyone is together bathing in the water having a good time, regardless of social status.
Next, lecturer Olivia Mitchell discussed her personal academic and professional journey, which was helped by a Friends of the Whitworth placement at the Gallery when she was deciding what to study at university in 2011. She moved onto explaining her current research focus on Indian visual culture and the British Empire, and briefly described the nucleus of her research, a portrait of Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal (1872), highlighting the strength and masculinity of the female subject, which was unusual at the time.
Student Miranda Dreisin discussed her love for the artist Tamara de Lempicka, explaining how Art Nouveau, Bauhaus and Ancient Egypt influenced the Art Deco, which, Dreisin argued, Lempicka executed perfectly in Self-Portrait in Green Bugatti (1928) to celebrate the contemporary societal progressions specifically surrounding women.
Melissa Mcfarlane outlined her role as Communications Manager at the Whitworth, which requires her to increase visitor numbers through diverse communication methods and working with partner institutions and galleries to increase outreach. Mcfarlane’s interesting account increased awareness of the vast job opportunities available to people passionate about pursuing creative careers. Student Alexandra Efanova discussed the artist Kazimir Malevich who created Red Square (1915). She described the white border of the square as an expression of Malevich’s excitement for progressions in physics in Russia, as it is seemingly endless, which frees the square from gravity.
After a short biscuit break, Ian Hay, a Friend of the Whitworth trustee and proprietor of Saul Hay Gallery, discussed his journey from working in an unfulfilling corporate job to following his passions and founding an independent gallery committed to showcasing the artists of Manchester, which, he argued, they did not have a sufficient platform to do. Determined to help artists become financially stable, his take was an example of pure and genuine interest, a reminder of the importance of choosing a career based on fulfilment and satisfaction.
Olga Gribben explained her role as Development and Stakeholder Manager at the Whitworth. She gave an interesting exposition on the finances and funding behind running a gallery. She highlighted the importance of understanding how to raise funds and the processes of funding in the UK, which she believed could set applicants apart from others when applying for jobs. Student Nadia Gribi discussed The Zouave (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh and the war of independence between Algerians and their French colonisers. She linked the painting to a larger discussion of Western obsession with the East and the risk of alienation when depicting other cultures.
Matilda Nettleton’s interest was in second-wave feminist artists in America and the stigma around menstruation and menstruation art. She focused on Judy Chicago’s Menstruation Bathroom (1972) as a significant milestone in this discourse, but highlighted evidence showing that there is still a long way to go before menstrual discussions are de-stigmatised.
The final student presentation was from Alicia McKenzie who discussed By the Sweat of My Brow (1917) by Gaganendranath Tagore. The satirical work, showing a man sweating profusely due to overdressing in a smart suit, criticised the Indians who sacrificed their identity in favour of English culture to gain financial and societal success.
Dominic Bilton, Project Producer at the Whitworth, closed the symposium by relating his endeavours to represent a group that had been historically underrepresented. He talked of the importance to the exhibition (Un)Defining Queer of having a diverse group of queer people be involved in the project and define themselves, rather than have people who are not involved in the community define them.
At the end of the symposium, special thanks were given to Riana Shah who has been a brilliant Friends of the Whitworth Student Ambassador for the past year.
Ella O’Sullivan
Third-year art history student
16 November 2023
Published jointly in Dispatches for Art History and on the Friends of the Whitworth website.
Dispatches in Art History 
