Interested in exploring a unique exhibition reflecting society's major gender disparities through cartoons?
On at the Institut Su茅dois, the Swedish cultural hub of Paris, until October, 鈥楲e Divan de Liv鈥� focuses on the work of Liv Str枚mquist, a Swedish cartoonist who delivers wry and acerbic commentary on some of western society鈥檚 most pressing problems. Inspired by the portrayal of women in history and also in the modern-day tabloid press, Str枚mquist鈥檚 work deals heavily with the disparities of power between men and women, and questions why there鈥檚 still such an obsession with the private lives of famous women, as evidenced in recent years with the controversies surrounding Whitney Houston and the Duchess of Cambridge. The artist treats these issues in light and subtle ways that won鈥檛 alienate a general public, and yet the humour in her work is never lost. It鈥檚 rare to laugh in a museum, but it鈥檚 pretty hard not to here, thanks to her canny subversions of well-known masterpieces, like Klimt鈥檚 鈥楾he Kiss鈥�, which she transforms into a comic swipe at the sad state of modern relationships. Visitors are also provided insight into her major inspirations (Sartre, Frida Khalo, Asa Grennvall) through an informative video interview, while original sketchbooks reveal the creative processes behind her works.
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