Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic

Old Babylonian Queen of the Night plaque, South Iraq, 19th-18th centuries BC, British Museum, London.

How do different traditions view femininity? How has female authority been perceived in ancient cultures? Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic looks for insights to divine and demonic figures feared and revered over the past 5,000 years, seeing these as a reflection of how humans perceive femininity and gender identity. Bringing together sculptures, sacred objects and artworks from the ancient world to today, and from six continents, the exhibition highlights the many faces of feminine power – ferocious, beautiful, creative or hell-bent – and its seismic influence throughout time.