HYSTERICAL 2024: RADICAL CREATIVITY
For Women’s History Month 2024, Hysterical Collective produced: Hysterical: Radical Creativity — the third instalment of the annual charity art exhibition and cultural programme taking place in March each year.
Co-founded and curated by Eliza Hatch of Cheer Up Luv and Bee Illustrates, Hysterical is a queer and feminist-led exhibition and event showcase; centred around community, collaboration, and activism. The annual event platforms artists of marginalised genders reclaiming the term 'hysterical', and using their voices for change. In 2022 Bee Illustrates and Eliza Hatch teamed up to create and curate Hysterical.
Radical Creativity featured a group of 13 selected artists, whose work tackles a range of social justice and gender equality issues, such as; femicide, colonialism, ableism, sexism, fetishization, queerphobia and transphobia.
For 2024, Bee Illustrates and Cheer Up Luv debuted a secret collaborative installation, exploring themes of gender identity, safety and public spaces.
Exhibiting artists included: Milly Aburrow (she/her), Oumou Aidara (they/them), Jasmine Foo (she/her), Shannon Higgins (she/her), Sarah Jarvis (she/her), Gaby Jonna (she/her), Ada Krenz (she/her), , Alexandra McKinney (she/her), Arabel Lebrusan (she/her) Emmally Parsons (they/she) Summer Puertollano (she/her) and Susan Sitko.
Alongside the exhibition, Hysterical 2024 hosted a roster of inspiring events, including a drawing with scissors workshop with Beth Suzanna, a beading brunch with Babes in Development and a feminist skate and sketch workshop at local skatepark and brewery Hop King.
In 2024, Hysterical Collective was able to raise £1000 for the LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity Galop with funds from event tickets and work sales.
While every artwork carefully delves into social injustice and questions what we accept from the world around us, there was a lightness in the air at Hysterical Collective’s show. Maybe it’s the founders who welcome people with warmth and curiosity, maybe it’s the immersion in all the artwork that helps you grieve inequality but also celebrate the existence of such a space. Perhaps it’s all of it.