This month sees the full roll-out of CoUNTess: Spoiling Illusions Since 2008 (and yes, the capitalisation in the name is absolutely intentional!) with its Sydney and Brisbane launches coming up in September and October. The book received an enthusiastic response when it was first launched last month at the Creative Spaces Summit in Adelaide and in late July at Community Hall in the heart of the Melbourne Now exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
CoUNTess: Spoiling Illusions Since 2008 comes from the Countess.Report, ‘an ongoing independent artist-run research project’. The new book details the extensive data that exposes the sad truth of inequity in gender representation in visual arts in Australia. The book also discusses the important history and significant impact of the Countess data collection and analysis project. It is a salutary benchmark for accountability in the arts as it dramatically quantifies the status of women and non-binary artists.
