Courageous Sluggard

The Surrealists had a particular attitude towards women – they saw them as muses, objects of passion and ephemeral beings deeply dependent on men. Maria Anto was born in 1936, during the flourishing of international Surrealism, a movement in which – whether Breton and Éluard intended it or not – many outstanding female artists took part. 

Working within the Surrealist tradition, Anto had already had a solo exhibition at Zachęta by the age of thirty. It was then that "Courageous Sluggard" was created – a nude self-portrait from a dream-inspired series, a manifesto of freedom and courage. It can be interpreted as a portrait of the community of women artists, alluding to the derogatory term ‘courageous and sluggish’ widely used amongst male artists. 

"Courageous Sluggard" is Maria Anto’s first solo exhibition at lokal_30. This year marks the ninetieth anniversary of the artist’s birth, providing an opportunity to take a fresh look at her practice. The exhibition focuses on the influence of her biography on the development of her work, which, as Griselda Pollock emphasised, is a crucial context for research into the practice of women artists.