What you’ll do
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” – but who gets to be the beholder, and how do their perspectives shape what we see as beautiful?
Join us to explore how ideas of beauty are tied to power, ownership and commerce. Taking the image ‘The Sable Venus(view in catalogue)’ as a starting point – which depicts an enslaved woman during the Transatlantic Slave Trade – we’ll consider how beauty has been defined, controlled and commodified.
Through open discussion, we’ll reflect on how standards of beauty have been imposed, internalised and resisted throughout history. Together, we’ll ask: who decides what is beautiful? How does beauty serve as a tool of oppression? And how might we express our own sense of beauty?
This session also includes an art workshop, where you’ll create your own ‘muse card’ – inspired by anyone you think deserves the title of ‘muse’. This could be yourself, a friend or someone who challenges traditional ideals of beauty. You’ll explore both external and internal perspectives of beauty through collage and mixed-media making.
If you’d like a break from the activities, you can visit our Chill-out Room to rest or relax. It will have low lighting, comfortable seating, cushions, mats and sensory aids such as ear defenders and toys.
The discussion and materials in this workshop will include references to enslaved people, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. You can find out more about how Wellcome Collection is addressing the colonial roots of our collections in this statement.
