No boys allowed! Mona's Ladies Lounge is going on tour

The controversial exhibition is alive and well, and it’s coming to the Gold Coast.

Life imitates art, as the old adage goes. That proved true last year when Ladies Lounge, an installation by Kirsha Kaechele at Tassie‘s Mona, became the centre of a legal controversy. Ladies Lounge is a lavish space filled with exclusive artworks – but they’re only visible to visitors who aren’t men.

The installation recreates and subverts gendered power imbalances by prohibiting men’s access to it. But the message behind the work came full circle when a disgruntled male museum visitor sued for gender discrimination.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kirsha Kaechele (@kirshakaechele)

After a lengthy legal battle, the artwork eventually won the right to exclude men, and recently concluded its acclaimed run in Mona earlier this year. Excitingly, and likely to the chagrin of that one guy that started this whole legal mess, Ladies Lounge is back – and it’s going on tour.

Leaving MONA (and Tasmania) for the first time, the work is coming to the Gold Coast where it will exhibit at Home Of The Arts (HOTA) for 10 days as part of contemporary arts festival BLEACH*. It will be on display for free (for gals only!) between 31 Jul and 10 Aug.

The Ladies Lounge leaves Tasmania for the first time and will appear in the Gold Coast’s HOTA Gallery as part of BLEACH* Festival. (Image: Supplied)

Also on the festival’s programming is a display of Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhales, a conversation with acclaimed American artist Jeff Koons and other big names in the art. Beyond that, catch music, opera, drama, food and more. It’s an action-packed programme that’s putting the sunny region on the map as a contemporary arts hub.

No such thing as too much art? Plan a trip to our favourite Gold Coast art galleries while you’re there.