The Belarusian organisation of Women Artists (BOWA) was founded by Irina Solomatina in 2021 in order to represent Belarusian female artists and connect them to the global art scene. Solomatina is a practicing humanitarian, feminist, and the founder of the online gender platform “Gender Route”. Meeting points for the female artists in Belarus with the public are limited and their artistic research has not yet been accepted as a way to influence public opinion. There is a conservative agenda towards women in art practices. BOWA seeks to empower female artists through collaborative projects. In 2019, the artists together published the book She was: 16 Women who became part of the history of Belarus seeking justice and bringing visibility for their predecessors on the national scene. The book represents an example where women collaborate together towards a common goal. Sixteen contemporary female artists use a colorful mixed media language to illustrate the historical moments from the 19th and 20th centuries.
BOWA offers guided tours to the art studios of Belarusian female artists, providing a unique opportunity to explore the Belarusian art landscape, including the capital of Belarus, Minsk, through the eyes of these artists. These personal encounters with artists allow for discussions on artistic research and the exploration of a unique atmosphere not typically accessible to the public.
The tours are curated to enhance biographical information about Minsk-based artists, aiming to facilitate and enrich communication related to the development of Belarusian art within the broader global art community. These events create a comfortable and exclusive setting for understanding the life stories that influence Belarusian art, inseparable from the artists’ creative explorations.
