Women’s work by Nic Fern

Size (cm): 55 x 48
Cotton, metallic thread, recycled fabrics, acrylic paint

This work re-examines how femininity has been constructed through art history and how those constructions continue to echo in contemporary social structures. By drawing from iconic Western imagery, it highlights the persistence of narratives that position women as objects of viewing, care, or service rather than autonomous subjects.

These historical frameworks are not confined to the past; they inform ongoing inequalities, from the undervaluing of domestic and emotional labour to systemic pay disparity and the uneven distribution of caregiving responsibilities.

Using hand-stitched textile, the work also engages with the language of craft and so-called “women’s work,” traditionally dismissed in favour of fine art hierarchies. Here, that material language is reclaimed as a deliberate site of resistance, care, and critique, challenging what is deemed visible, valuable, and worthy of attention.