Unsung heroes
LDN WMN was a temporary series of eye-catching public artworks displayed across London from 18 October 2018. They were created by women and non-binary artists, inspired by unsung women heroes from the city’s history. Curated by Tate Collective in collaboration with the Mayor of London, LDN WMN formed part of the Mayor’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, which marks 100 years since the first women won the right to vote in the UK. Here we explore the women and artwork on display in east London.
Mala Sen by Jasmin Kaur Sehra, Brick Lane
Drawing on the bright colours and contrasting type of vintage Bollywood posters, Jasmin Kaur Sehra's mural celebrated the life of Indian-British writer and activist Mala Sen. Sen was a lifelong campaigner for women's rights, dedicated to improving conditions in the East End. She was an active member of the British Asian and British Black Panther movements and through her novel, India’s Queen Bandit, raised awareness of the victimisation of women in rural India in 2001.
LDN WMN artwork of Mala Sen (2018) by Jasmin Kaur SehraOriginal source: Mayor of London
Sehra has incorporated elements not just from Sen's own life, but from the lives of those she sought to change.
Look out for birds and butterflies within the piece – chosen as symbols of freedom.
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The location
Sen was particularly active in the East End of London, exposing the poor conditions of Bangladeshi sweatshop workers who often had to share beds in dormitories, as they didn't qualify for accommodation.
She played a key role in establishing the Bengali Housing Action Group, which helped turn Brick Lane into a safer, more welcoming area for the Bangladeshi community.
In response to this, Sehra's artwork took over a busy part of the pavement not far from the Old Truman Brewery.
LDN WMN artwork of Mala Sen (2018) by Jasmin Kaur SehraOriginal source: Mayor of London
This area is not just steeped in history; it is also the centre of East London’s arts and media quarter.
The Old Truman Brewery has been sensitively regenerating its ten acres of vacant and derelict buildings that formerly made up the world’s largest brewery.
Now established as a cultural destination in its own right, it’s home to a plethora of creative businesses; with independent shops, galleries, markets, bars and restaurants as well as spectacular office and event spaces.
LDN WMN artwork of Mala Sen (2018) by Jasmin Kaur SehraOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Jasmin Kaur Sehra’s work merges vibrant and nostalgic graphics with Bollywood typography, an approach typified by her ‘Bollyhood Series’.
Passionate about identity, empowerment, self-love and positivity, Jasmin amalgamates her Punjabi heritage and interest in fashion and arts to form her own artistic storytelling through illustration, typography and design.
East London women by Joey Yu, Shoreditch
East London played an important part in the suffragette movement, home to several branches of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), and later the East London Federation of the Suffragettes (ELFS) which focused on working women's rights. The group – headed by Sylvia Pankhurst, daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst – led the campaign to improve pay, working conditions and housing, amongst other issues.
LDN WMN artwork of East London's suffragette movement (2018) by Joey YuOriginal source: Mayor of London
As well as hosting huge meetings, benefit concerts and parties, they marched through east London, using a group of supporters to defend them from the police.
After the First World War, they helped distribute milk, open a children's clinic, nursery school, and canteens that served affordable food.
Artist Joey Yu celebrated the women of east London with her artwork – a wall piece emblazoned in suffragette colours and celebrating the movement's fearless philosophy.
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The location
In tribute to the work of east London’s suffragettes, Yu's piece took over one wall of Shoreditch's Village Underground – a space for creativity and culture in the heart of the area.
It’s a renovated turn-of-the-century warehouse, ready for everything from concerts and club nights to exhibitions, theatre, live art and other performances.
LDN WMN artwork of East London's suffragette movement (2018) by Joey YuOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Joey Yu creates work in a variety of media that explores the way we interact with our environments.
Using reportage drawing and live performative drawing pieces, Yu asks questions such as who are the people that pass us everyday, what stories do they carry with them, and can we learn to lean in and listen to them?
Her practice is a way of provoking conversation, remembering and discovering herself in new scenarios.
Madge Gill by Wood Street Walls, Walthamstow
Madge Gill was born in Walthamstow in 1882. A self-taught, visionary artist, she created both meticulous and monumental artworks, skilfully exploring different techniques and formats including paints, inks and textiles. Although relatively unknown at the time she is now considered a prolific and powerful artist. The mural artwork was inspired by Madge Gill’s iconic free flowing drawing techniques. Using mainly black and white, her visionary drawings often feature women’s faces surrounded by fluid repetitive patterns of checkerboards, grids and stairways.
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The location
Wood Street Walls collaborated with Works by Madge Gill to paint a giant portrait of the Walthamstow based artist on the side wall of a business on the busy High Street, opposite her newly erected blue plaque.
This artwork was the third annual commission from Wood Street Walls as part of the Pick Your Pattern programme, helping celebrate an underappreciated creative trailblazers.
For this artwork, the community was asked to choose from 3 designs, shared at the Walthamstow Garden Party and online. The project received over 750 votes both online and offline.
Artist Pang in front of LDN WMN artwork of Madge Gill (2018) by Wood Street WallsOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Pang lives and works in London, painting both in the studio and around the city.
Most of her work can be found in London, and she has painted walls across Europe.
Exploring themes of psychology, mass social behaviour and the human condition, pang’s work contains a humorous narrative that vividly expresses her morbidly curious nature, and the more awkward questions regarding social facade, the inner-self and humanity’s constant struggle between the two.
Irene Ho by Stephanie K Kane, Liverpool Street Station
Stephanie K Kane pays homage to Irene Ho (also known as Irene Cheng), the first female undergraduate to study English at the University of Hong Kong in 1921. As well as pursuing her education at King’s College and the University of London, Ho established the Chung Hwa School in Poplar which has been recognised as the first Chinese supplementary school in London. It offered Anglo-Chinese children the chance to learn more about their language, heritage and culture.
LDN WMN artwork of Irene Ho (2018) by Stephanie K KaneOriginal source: Mayor of London
Kane’s piece is a freestanding portrait of Ho surrounded by floor illustrations of hands.
These symbolic hands nod to a quote from Ho: “Gather all the learning you can from your teachers. Study to serve humanity, hand over your knowledge to others.”
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The location
Kane’s piece dominates a busy walkway at Liverpool Street Station.
It is pink and orange to symbolise survival and hope.
The station is a short journey from Limehouse, where Ho established the Chung Hwa School.
Opened in 1874 as a replacement for Bishopsgate station, London Liverpool Street station was designed to integrate with the growing London Underground network.
Today, it is Britain’s third busiest station after Waterloo and Victoria, serving around 64 million passengers a year.
LDN WMN artwork of Irene Ho (2018) by Stephanie K KaneOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Stephanie K Kane works with a range of mediums, but predominantly in oil, crayon and digital.
Her work is autobiographical in nature, and designed to provoke conversation or a breakdown of the norms governing how artists and artworks are treated and received.
Stray memorable sentences such as ‘your hands are ugly’ may form the starting point of a piece.
In 2015, Kane won Young Start-Up Talent 2015, an incentive for young entrepreneurs.
Joyce Guy by Jacob V Joyce, Redbridge Library
Jacob V Joyce uncovers the story of local hero Joyce Guy, who played a pivotal role in the Redbridge community. As the founder of the Melting Pot group in Ilford, she produced charitable and cultural events and provided support for older Caribbean residents who'd moved to England from the 1950s onwards.
LDN WMN artwork of Joyce Guy (2018) by Jacob V JoyceOriginal source: Mayor of London
Jacob V Joyce's piece is inspired by conversations with Redbridge residents and Guy's own celebration of her history and culture.
Stretching across an entire wall of the Redbridge Library, the portrait incorporates words from Guy herself, as well as details that reflect on her life's work.
Accompanying this, the artist has created a pamphlet recounting her story, and celebrating her contributions to the local community.
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The location
In 2002, Redbridge Museum staged an exhibition about the history of homes in Redbridge.
The Museum worked with Melting Pot to recreate a local Caribbean 1960s 'houseshare' kitchen and lounge.
This is reflected not just in the content of Jacob V Joyce's piece, which shows Guy in front of a West Indian living room, but also in its location on a wall of the library's Hardback Cafe.
LDN WMN artwork of Joyce Guy (2018) by Jacob V JoyceOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Jacob V Joyce uses missing images or narratives as a starting point for their work, depicting people or events that have been largely undocumented through history.
In these instances they see their work as a process of repairing gaps in our shared visual landscapes and nourishing ground for the many narratives that have been neglected by mainstream society to grow and flourish.
Adelaide Knight by Caroline Cardus, Canning Town
As secretary of the first London branch of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), Adelaide Knight fought for women's suffrage and was arrested and imprisoned in 1906. Cardus's artwork revolves around a statement Knight made after her arrest, while under pressure to give up campaigning to avoid prison. “I refuse to barter my freedom to act according to my conscience while my health permits me to fight on,” she said.
LDN WMN artwork of Adelaide Knight (2018) by Caroline CardusOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist sets this statement over the green, white and purple of the suffragette movement, honouring Knight's own experience as well as that of disabled people everywhere.“
Adelaide's words felt current and vital to me personally,” says the artist.
“And I also believe they have a powerful resonance with events happening to people today.”
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The location
Cardus's artwork is located in front of the old town hall in Canning Town – which was home to the first branch of the WSPU in London, and currently the main hub of social action charity Community Links, which has been based in Newham for 40 years.
Community Links’ vision is for groups of people to support one another to overcome problems, prevent them from occurring again, help each other to thrive and achieve their goals.
Knight played a pivotal role in the area and has been described by the East End Women's Museum as “one of the most important figures in the east London women's suffrage movement at the turn of the century.”
LDN WMN artwork of Adelaide Knight (2018) by Caroline CardusOriginal source: Mayor of London
The artist
Caroline Cardus makes text-based pieces that explore the power of language, driven by a fascination with how words can be used to subjugate, be subverted, or used to assert power.
Familiar formats like signage may be subverted in order to be brought under the control and narrative of the artist’s own agenda.
Her ongoing experience of disability also forms a core theme of her work.
LDN WMN artists (2018) by GLA/Kevin LakeOriginal source: Mayor of London
