Ladies Lounge (MONA)

As an avid lover of art, I often visit as many art and history museums as possible, so I am familiar with major museums around the world, which is how I found the following story. 

The Museum of Old and New Art, also known as the MONA, located in Tasmania, Australia has recently garnered a lot of attention and the reasoning behind it is fascinating. The reason being its exclusive Ladies Lounge installation.  

The lounge opened in 2020 and in the lounge, women are served various food and champagne by male Butlers (similar to what would happen in a gentlemen’s club, except for men), while they get a private view of numerous famous artworks, such as some of Picasso’s work. 

The problem with the installation arose when a man named Jason Lau bought a ticket to explore the museum and was refused the right to enter the Ladies Lounge. After being turned away from the installation, Lau took his complaints to the legal level, claiming that he and other men were not given “a fair provision of goods and services in line with the law (The Independent).” 

The artist behind the installation, Kirsha Kaechele, told reporters she was extremely happy that Lau took his complaints to the courts. Lau played right into the meaning behind the exhibition, which is that the exhibit is “based on the concept of misogynistic old-fashioned Australian pubs – where women were largely excluded till the 1960s (The Independent).” 

The lawyers for MONA stood by Kaechele and “argued that Lau’s reaction meant he did get to experience the artwork, and that the installation honors a Tasmanian legal stipulation allowing selective entry when it brings justice to the disenfranchised (Artnet).” 

Richard Grueber, the deputy president of TASCAT, an Australian tribunal, ruled the exhibition as “direct discrimination” and told the museum they have 28 days to determine how they will move forward with the installation. A spokesperson for MONA and Kaechele claimed they were willing to take the case to the Supreme Court and “. . . would rather close the installation than let men in (Artnet).”  

Kirsha, Her Lawyer, and her Supporters

Something else important to note about this whole situation that made me find the story in the first place was a performance that Kaechele and her supporters put on during the hearing. The performance entailed Kaechele and a line of her supporters who all dressed up while Kaechele led the women out of the courthouse with a synchronized dance to Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistible.”

I found this whole exhibition and performance to be amazing and it truly feels like art is imitating life with this whole situation. The exhibition is becoming bigger than itself and is starting a movement. I think it is a rather ironic situation considering an artwork about gender discrimination led to someone filing a lawsuit claiming the piece was eliciting gender discrimination, when that was its WHOLE purpose. It may be controversial to say but if this was a men’s only lounge, I don’t think the courts would rule in favor of letting women in. Men have been doing things like this for centuries and the second women make a place only for them, they freaked out and claimed gender discrimination. One can only hope that the true message behind this exhibit reaches as many people, especially men, as it can and will help illicit a change. I highly suggest y’all investigate the case more because it fascinating!!!    

(not sure if this will work but he is a video I downloaded from TikTok of Kirsha and her supporters walking out of court) v14044g50000cnudqevog65jc7pc1bhg

•  Sources 
• A Court Rules an Australian Museum’s Women-Only Exhibition Must Admit Men (artnet.com) 
• Australian museum ordered to allow men into women-only art exhibit after man sues (msn.com)