Sculptures to be hidden around Dublin on International Women’s Day
Project Sheela is founded by two Dublin-based artists. On International Women’s Day, they will be placing seven of their sculptures at notable sites in Dublin to promote women’s rights and celebrate female sexuality in Ireland.
Following the positive feedback from their project last year, Project Sheela is back for the second time to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021.
Project Sheela aims to acknowledge the dark history of women’s rights in Ireland, reflect on the achievements, and look to the future of what still needs to be done for women.
The two anonymous artists have previously paid tribute to significant sites in Dublin, related to historic and current issues of women’s rights, with their ‘Sheela na gig’ sculptures. Previously, their sculptures have been located at the Magdelene Laundries, where women were imprisoned and abused, and by Kilmainham Goal to commemorate the fearless women of the 1916 rising.
What is a Sheela na gig?
‘Sheela na gig’ is a mysterious carving of a female figure displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found throughout Europe, but mostly in Ireland, Great Britain, France, and Spain. The original purpose of the sculpture is widely debated but in modern times, the Sheela is seen to represent female empowerment.
Since beginning their project, they have attracted much attention on Instagram from people that love Sheela, and the artists’s endeavors to highlight women’s rights. With the support they were given online, they have used this to channel into fundraising opportunities for women charities including Saoirse’s Women Refuge and Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
Each of their Sheela sculpture is hand-crafted ceramics, making each individual piece unique. They are fired three times with glass and decorated with gold lustre added to the vulvas.
Sheela sculptures placed in seven locations
Project Sheela will place their Sheela sculptures in seven locations in Dublin. For seven days, starting on Monday, the 8th of March, the artists will reveal a new location each day via Instagram. Describing their street art project as an “unofficial socially distant scavenger hunt”, they hope that their followers find the art and discover the stories behind why the Sheelas have been put in those locations.
“People will take away some really powerful messages. What we love about the project is that some locations will celebrate individual women or achievements, others highlight issues we need to work on today and others recognise and commemorate tragedies of the past […]”
On what their followers will learn from this, the two artists said: “People will take away some really powerful messages. What we love about the project is that some locations will celebrate individual women or achievements, others highlight issues we need to work on today and others recognise and commemorate tragedies of the past, some of which have wounds that are still very much open. We hope that the project helps move us towards some healing in acknowledging that pain.”
This art project references the past, present, and future of women’s rights, and encourages art-lovers to get outside. Not everyone will be able to participate due to travel restrictions but nevertheless, we look forward to seeing Sheela’s followers eagerly hunt down their sculptures around the county.
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