Exhibition Review for Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion
Lights, camera, transgression! Attention fans of feminist film icons and gender-noncomformist starlets, there is just over a month left to see all the glitzy glamour soaked in power and subversion at ACMI’s Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion exhibition.
Source: Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion (ACMI)
I repeat, that’s just over a month left to experience the iconic stories, characters, and moments from 120 years of moving image history. This sumptuous exhibition is a celebration of those transcending stars of the silver screen who shaped their roles, took creative control, and fought a system that tried to exploit them.
Featuring iconic costumes, unforgettable stories, original sketches, and cinematic shots from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the Blaxploitation films that rocked the 70s, Goddess is a jam-packed experience that offers a snapshot into the lives of these transgressive trailblazers. The must-sees of the exhibition go to Billy Porter’s elaborate red and pink Celestino Couture tuxedo gown worn at the 2019 Tony Awards and the visuals of iconic frontier feminist flicks of the past few decades. I mean, we love reminiscing about the first time we watched Thelma and Louise and witnessing the totally kick-ass fight scenes by Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh.
Diving straight into the lives of these femme fatales and queer queens who have rocked and shaped our screens for decades, this gloriously inviting exhibition is the perfect way to spend your next lazy Sunday. Or if you work in the city and have an hour to spare, come down and be a part of film history, bask in the legacy that these icons have established for us – to enjoy films that showcase such diverse representations of women. While there is still a long way to go, this exhibition is a reminder of how change on the big screen has ignited gender equality in real life. Thank you Cate Blanchett, Pam Grier, Tilda Swinton, Zendaya, Anna May Wong, Geena Davis, Marlene Dietrich, and Ms Monroe, for all that you’ve done.
★★★
Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion is showing at ACMI, Fed Square until October 1 2023.