Determined to ‘drive men crazy’, Mona’s Ladies Lounge saga continues in the Supreme Court

Artist Kirsha Kaechele has appealed the ruling to allow men inside Mona’s Ladies Lounge and feels “inspired” by the Supreme Court hearing.
Kirsha Kaechele and supporters, Ladies Lounge Supreme Court of Tasmania Hearing. A group of more than 20 women wearing navy business suits lined up in single file, with Kirsha at the front.

In April, Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) was ordered by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to allow men to enter its women-only Ladies Lounge, after a male visitor, Jason Lau, filed a complaint based on anti-discrimination claims.

The Ladies Lounge is a project and artwork of Kirsha Kaechele, artist, curator and partner of Mona founder, David Walsh. The space is luxuriously decorated, with two Picasso paintings, dazzling gold objects and male butlers. Its ethos is to create a safe haven inside Mona for women to relax, and serves as commentary on the historical injustice faced by women.

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Celina Lei is the Diversity and Inclusion Editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Most recently, Celina was one of three Australian participants in DFAT’s the Future of Leadership program. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne. Instagram @lleizy_