HYSTERICAL 2024

HYSTERICAL: RADICAL CREATIVITY

For Women’s History Month 2024, Hysterical Collective presented: Hysterical: Radical Creativity – the third instalment of the annual charity art exhibition and cultural programme taking place in March each year. Co-founded and curated by Eliza Hatch of Cheer Up Luv and Bee Illustrates, Hysterical is a queer and feminist-led exhibition and event showcase; centred around community, collaboration, and activism.

The annual event platforms many women and non-binary artists reclaiming the term ‘hysterical’, and using their voices for change. After two consecutive years building community and creating opportunities for women and marginalised creatives – Hysterical 2024 confronted audiences to interrogate their own views by exhibiting art that truly embodies radical creativity.

Hysterical facilitated a space to celebrate the innovative and subversive work of women and marginalised creatives who use their practice as a form of protest; showcasing work from underrepresented artists. Following on from the success of the past two years, Radical Creativity spanned the last two weeks of March, and featured a group of 13 selected artists:
Milly Aburrow (she/her), Oumou Aidara (they/them), Millie Chen (she/her), Jasmine Foo (she/her), Shannon Higgins (she/her) Sarah Jarvis (she/her), Gaby Jonna (she/her), Ada Krenz (she/her), Arabel Lebrusan (she/her), Alexandra McKinney, Emmally Parsons (they/she) (she/her), Summer Puertollano (she/her), Susan Sitko (she/her).

‘While every artwork carefully delves into social injustice and questions what we accept from the world around us, there was a lightness in the air at Hysterical Collective’s show. Maybe it’s the founders who welcome people with warmth and curiosity, maybe it’s the immersion in all the artwork that helps you grieve inequality but also celebrate the existence of such a space. Perhaps it’s all of it.’ - Woo

Hysterical Charity events:

This year, Hysterical hosted a roster of inspiring events, including a creative Drawing With Scissors workshop with Hysterical alumna Beth Suzanna - supported with materials from Cass Art, a belly beading brunch with Babes in Development and a skate + sketch workshop at local skatepark and brewery Hop King. With funds raised from ticket an work sales, this year Hysterical Collective was able to donate 1k (inc Gift Aid) to the LGBTW+ anti-abuse charity Galop.

Vacant // Engaged, Bee Illustrates & Cheer Up Luv, 2024

Vacant // Engaged

After collaborating as curators, for Hysterical: Radical Creativity, Bee Illustrates and Cheer Up Luv combined forces to create a full scale bathroom in the exhibition itself.

Vacant // Engaged was an immersive space where the audience and art became one. As a delicate, inventive and timely commentary on the discourse surrounding single-sex spaces, Vacant // Engaged questioned the arbitrary nature of the gender binary, and speaks to the fluidity and expansive nature of femininity and community in whatever form it takes.
By creating this installation, we hoped to encourage and facilitate open, compassionate discussion on inclusion and safety for all genders and the importance of intersectionality when it comes to applying feminist principles to everyday life.
As a non-binary and cisgender creative duo who have both experienced the effects of gender- based discrimination, Bee Illustrates and Cheer Up Luv felt that it was both urgent and poignant to debut their artwork during Women’s History Month, with Trans Day of Visibility falling on the final day of the exhibition — the 31st of March.

Vacant // Engaged encouraged viewers to reflect upon and remember the significance of trans women and the LGBTQIA+ community in feminist liberation movements, and called upon the audience’s continued support of trans and gender-diverse people in our collective fight for gender equality.

This work was made possible thanks to the generous support of Natracare.