Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) has won an appeal in the state’s supreme court, meaning its Ladies Lounge installation will be permitted to reopen as a space for women.
Mona’s Ladies Lounge opened to women in 2020. Designed as a piece of interactive art, the exhibit is inspired by male-only spaces in Australia throughout history.
However, when New South Wales resident Jason Lau was denied entry to the installation in April of last year, he filed a gender discrimination lawsuit.
Lau won and Mona was ordered by Tasmania’s civil and administrative tribunal to allow “persons who do not identify as ladies” into the space.
Mona later lodged an appeal with Tasmania’s supreme court after losing the legal battle.
Today (27 September), justice Shane Marshall found that men could be excluded from the exhibit because it was designed to promote “equal opportunity” for women.
Marshall said the installation provides women “with a rare glimpse of what it is like to be advantaged rather than disadvantaged” (via BBC).
Kirsha Kaechele, the artist behind the exhibit, said in a statement: “It took 30 seconds to deliver the verdict.
“Women are better than men”
“The judge’s verdict demonstrates a simple truth: women are better than men. Yes, the men, understandably, are a little grumpy about this. They may even appeal. (They don’t appeal to me.)”
“The judge sided with the arguments put forward by our all-female team,” she added.
“I believe in and love the Ladies Lounge. It is a uniting force, has brought women from all sides of the political spectrum together – hallelujah! The art has melded with the world, dissolved the barriers between art and life. They never existed anyway.”
With the new ruling, the case will return to Tasmania’s civil and administrative tribunal, which will have to reconsider its judgement.
Images courtesy of Mona
