‘CAILLEACH’

“What we need in these times is a powerful goddess who makes sure to take rest and create loughs, to forge paths that become valleys, to warn of the weather portentious and wild. Gathering these artists together in Vault makes a place that becomes a buffer for the storm and guards against the harsher realities of the Poly crisis.

Femininity and identity shouldn't be controversial anymore, for over 50 years the radical feminist work of women artists, of queers, of racialized people, have been furtive, complex, deep, discursive, and vast…  Yet! Still, we are stuck in a moment where our words, where our art and where our bodies can be in danger overnight; in the aftermath of an election or slowly over years, as the stress of domestic violence and a lack of shared parenting contributes to a drip, drip, drip on the salty skin of our bodies and seep inside. Like Cailleach we too have to shape shift multiple times a day in order to meet the needs of our dependents navigate the egos and smooth relations in order to survive.

We're still on this tightrope where we're always so close but never quite right - on that skinny line of feminine perfection, but to stray condemns us to be disregarded. Conversely - such a gathering of lively, responsive, cheeky works allies us to celebrate the errant and odd, the disruptive voices we know. 2025 could well be the year for feminist vengeance, it's certainly the year for re-learning that if we want power, we can't ask for it politely. This is a grab back from no mere shy pussies in the corner.

We can't fight with their weapons, we can't dismantle with their tools so instead we call upon our mysterious energies and unholy humour, to see once again the power and knowledge we once had, that they try to make us forget.

Zippy, Wee Nuls and Kerrie Hanna, all artists with a disruptive feminist practice in their own right, have gathered together an intriguing coven of women artists to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025. Cailleach is a divine hag”. 

- Text by Emma Campbell

The word ‘Cailleach’ translates as old woman, the divine hag. The Cailleach is attributed as the Veiled one, mysterious, powerful, and often a shapeshifter who was celebrated as Winter gives way to Spring. This is a moment to honour the deep ancestral knowledge which works its way down generations of women and to celebrate the power of the hag. The work in this exhibition not only celebrates women’s power and the power of the collective to enact change but also acts as a stark reminder of the ongoing fight for women's rights and the progress still needed to achieve true gender parity.

The exhibition launches during Late Night Art and includes interactive events throughout the week, including Placard Making for International Women’s Day March on Friday 7th and an Artist Breakfast on Sunday 9th.

You are warmly invited to join us for the IWD March itself on Saturday 8th, leaving from Vault Marlborough House to join the parade, making our voices heard for Women’s Rights at home and across the World.

Getting here and accessibility info: HERE

About the curators:

Zippy

Wee Nuls

Kerrie Hanna