Inside Other Spaces

An alternative history of "environments": how women artists from Lygia Clark to Judy Chicago redefined installation, featuring reconstructions of destroyed works

"Environments" was a term coined by Lucio Fontana in 1949 to describe installations at the intersection of art and architecture that emphasized audience participation. To date, art history has tended to focus on the works of male artists mostly from the US and Europe. Inside Other Spaces offers a different narrative, highlighting the contributions of women artists to the field. It features 14 pioneering women artists from three generations, spanning Asia, Europe and the Americas, including Judy Chicago, Lygia Clark, Laura Grisi, Aleksandra Kašuba, Lea Lublin, Marta Minujín, Tania Mouraud, Maria Nordman, Nanda Vigo, Faith Wilding and Tsuruko Yamazaki. Given the experimental nature of these works, many of them were deconstructed or destroyed immediately after being exhibited. This is the first project to reconstruct them with the help of conservators using archival material and heterogeneous sources such as photographs, architectural plans and lists of materials.