An artist behind the Ladies Lounge installation at Mona, Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art, has become the subject of a formal anti-discrimination complaint.
Created by artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele, whose husband is Mona owner David Walsh, Ladies Lounge is only open to women.
Ladies Lounge is “a tremendously lavish space in our museum in which women can indulge in decadent nibbles, fancy tipples, and other ladylike pleasures – hosted and entertained by the fabulous butler”, says Mona.
The installation is designed as a piece of interactive art, inspired by male-only spaces in Australia throughout history.
Mona accused of discriminating by gender
However, New South Wales resident Jason Lau has said the artwork breaks discrimination laws. Like other men, he was not allowed to enter the installation when he visited Mona in April 2023.
This week, he took Mona to Tasmania’s civil and administrative tribunal, saying he was discriminated against for his gender.
According to Australian news reports, Lau said at the hearing: “I visited Mona, paid 35 Australian dollars on the expectation that I would have access to the museum, and I was quite surprised when I was told that I would not be able to see one exhibition, the Ladies Lounge.”
“Anyone who buys a ticket would expect a fair provision of goods and services in line with the law,” added Lau, who is representing himself.
Mona agrees that the exhibit does discriminate, but argues that men are experiencing the artwork exactly as intended.
“Part of the experience is being denied something that is desired,” said Mona’s counsel, Catherine Scott, according to local paper The Mercury (via BBC).
Speaking to the BBC after the hearing, Kaechele said: “It brings up very serious and interesting conversations, but there’s also something light hearted about it.
“Women delight in it and most men, I think, enjoy it. They find it funny.”
Lau wants the Ladies Lounge to be closed or to admit men. “If you were just looking at it from an aesthetic standpoint, being forced to close would be pretty powerful,” Kaechele added.
Images courtesy of Mona
