5 exhibitions celebrating female creatives, from Marilyn Monroe to Frida Kahlo

Five exhibitions across the globe are spotlighting female artists whose work has shaped contemporary culture, despite historical and ongoing underrepresentation. The National Gallery of Iceland will open Björk’s ‘Echolalia’ on May 30 as part of the Reykjavík Arts Festival, a multidisciplinary tribute to her late mother, Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir. The exhibition features four gallery installations, blending new music, video, and collaborations with musicians, dancers, and designers, while also revisiting her 2022 tracks *Ancestress* and *Sorrowful Soil*. Björk’s avant-garde approach transforms the space into an immersive exploration of grief and life’s cycles. Marina Abramović will make history at Venice’s Gallerie dell’Accademia with a solo exhibition, further cementing her legacy as a pioneer in performance art. Meanwhile, the Tate Modern in London will host its first major retrospective of Frida Kahlo, marking a significant milestone for the iconic Mexican artist. The National Museum of Women in the Arts reports that women constitute 51% of global visual artists yet remain underrepresented in public spaces, with 78% of London galleries still favoring male artists. Iris van Herpen’s New York exhibition and a Marilyn Monroe centenary tribute round out the lineup, though Monroe was not a visual artist, her cultural impact as a muse remains unmatched. The shows collectively challenge institutional barriers, echoing Linda Nochlin’s 1971 critique in *‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?’* which highlighted systemic obstacles still affecting women in the art world today. Each exhibition offers a rare opportunity to engage with the work of women who have redefined creativity across mediums.