Folding Chair Coven

origin of the Coven

The Folding Chair Coven began as an idea in Florence, Italy, in October 2023.

Many of the founding members of the Coven met at the XIV Florence Biennale by chance and proximity. Although we had been involved in similar projects before the event, for many of us it was our first meeting in person. We found that we had so much in common upon meeting and having the time and space to interact with each other. However, our differences brought us close as much as our similarities did. We were not only womxn artists; each of us had our own unique set of words, characteristics, and life experiences used to classify us that painted a much larger, more diverse, and intersectional picture of our lives and circumstances as people making art.

One specific point discussed multiple times between the members was the feeling that the current state of the art world was relatively homogeneous, for all of the diversity we knew personally in our own corners of the globe. While groups for female artists, LGBTQI+ artists, (race/ethnicity) artists, socioeconomically disadvantaged artists, disabled artists, or neurodivergent artists might exist, none of us knew of existing groups that accommodated all of our words. We felt that the art world, and the international art stage overall, might be lagging in keeping up with the myriad ways we exist as womxn who make art. Additionally, we find the current situation for international artists needs improvement. Whether due to algorithms or a lack of internet access, we are not seeing art or artists from a large part of the world. Sometimes we don’t see each other even when we are involved in the same events. Along with making space for our unique experiences as artists, we aim to make space for those who have not yet been able to find a platform.

With this in mind, we chose to create the Folding Chair Coven: a space for us to organize and make art freely as womxn artists as well as to find and support those currently underrepresented in the art world.

We are here. We are intersectional and diverse. And we are looking for our people.