Join us for this special preview event of Work to be done. This exhibition is part of A Woman's Work EU project in partnership with Ffotogallery Gallery of Photography and Kaunas Gallery.

Work to be Done is Curated by Finnish Collective Whack 'n' Bite

About A Woman's Work

Women’s role in industry and technology-based work in post-war Europe is a hitherto untold story, and audiovisual archives have tended to focus on male-orientated ‘heavy industries’ such as coal, iron and steel, or large scale engineering sectors such as shipbuilding, construction, aerospace and car manufacturing. Yet women continue to play a key role in many manufacturing and service industries – for example, textiles, electronics, food and drinks, plastics and pharmaceuticals – a reality which is neither acknowledged nor strongly represented in European cultural archives.

A Woman’s Work is a project that uses photography and digital media to address that deficit through artistic collaboration and exchange across borders, and the co-production of exhibitions, publications and online resources that challenge the dominant view of gender and industry in Europe. The project explores the shifting relationship between home and the workplace, and growth sectors such as the finance industry, media and telecommunications, where women’s work is being re-defined through technological developments and post-globalism.

About Work to be Done

A society premises us all to work and pay taxes. It is crucial for a society’s functions that everybody contributes. Working is respected. Many societies also encourage us to have children – the next contributing generation to secure a nation’s future development, taxes and services.

Gender coded territories are no illusion, but the gulf between the territories at both work and home is knit together with myriad patterns. It is a privilege to be able to choose one’s profession and work place. It is a privilege to be able to choose to take parental leave and stay home with the children. It is a privilege to earn enough for living. These privileges go beyond the questions of gender equality – these are choices for some, despite the gender.

As structural changes shake European work environments, traditional hard work will disappear and the demand for soft workers will increase. There is no longer any need for the gender distribution of agricultural society, if there ever was one. Hierarchies also crumble. Companies have the intrinsic value of being a well-respected workplace, and it is realizable through communication and trust between management and employees. Confidence does not ask for gender. In a productive workplace, everyone can be themselves and influence the meaning of work.

About Whack N' Bite

Whack ´n` Bite is a recently established collective with two founding members (curator Tuula Alajoki and visual artist / designer Johanna Havimäki) from Finland. Like a visual band Whack ´n´ Bite welcomes featuring artists and colleagues for collaborations around and about photographic expression. Both Alajoki and Havimäki have background in visual arts with experience in content development, art production and international collaborations. 2012–2018 Alajoki was the director of the international photography triennial Backlight Photo Festival. Whack ´n´ Bite participates in curatorial responsibilities as well as in visual solutions with the organising partners, with the aim to create a northern reach to A Woman´s Work.