If Not Now, When? Favorite 

If Not Now, When? is an ongoing exhibition that showcases the work of 31 female sculptors, employing diverse materials and forms to address social and environmental issues such as gender equality, nuclear disarmament, and electronic waste. The Hepworth Wakefield in England is hosting the exhibition from April 3 to July 4, 2023. Curators Helen Pheby and Harriet Cooper selected the artists based on two surveys conducted in 1988 and 2022 that examined the practices, challenges, and approaches of women working in sculpture.
The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections: In Women's Time, Tumbling Through Time, and The Time Is Now. In Women's Time delves into the ways women's lives are shaped by biological and social cycles, including menstruation, pregnancy, caregiving, and aging. Tumbling Through Time investigates how women use sculpture to reflect on the past, present, and future, engaging with history, memory, and timelessness. The Time Is Now focuses on how women employ sculpture to address urgent contemporary issues like climate change, human rights, and social justice.
Highlights of the exhibition include:

• Shelagh Wakely's gilded fruit dessert trolley, which contemplates the literal passing of time as these shimmering objects slowly rot and disintegrate. The work draws inspiration from an Emily Dickinson poem that asks: "If I can stop one heart from breaking / I shall not live in vain."
• Deborah Duffin's meandering loop of electronic waste cables, which tackles the pressing issue of disposable materials. The piece visually represents the artist's research on the environmental impact of e-waste and its connection to human exploitation and health hazards.
• Shirley Cameron's wooden nuclear bomb, which serves as pure political activism. The work protests the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system and calls for disarmament and peace. The artist carved the bomb herself using reclaimed wood from a local church.
• Katrina Cowling's glowing neon glass curves juxtaposed with Cornelia Parker's floating steel coffee pots. These works contrast the fragility and fluidity of glass with the solidity and rigidity of metal, creating dynamic tension between light and shadow, movement and stillness, and organic and industrial elements.
• Pamela Storey's tiny wire figure balances high above heads while Permindar Kaur's pierced dolls line up across the wall. These pieces explore themes of identity, belonging, and vulnerability, challenging the stereotypes and expectations society and culture impose on women.
• Phyllida Barlow's mound of bubbling black bitumen and rubber counterbalances Lois Williams' soft, furry forms. These works play with scale, texture, and materiality, inviting touch and interaction through a sensory experience.

The exhibition aims to celebrate the diversity and creativity of women sculptors and challenge the male-dominated culture of the art world. It also aspires to inspire visitors to consider how time affects their own lives and how they can use their agency to make a difference in the world. As the title suggests, the exhibition asks: If not now, when?
Critics and audiences alike have lauded the exhibition for its timely relevance, rich variety, and powerful message. The Guardian refers to it as "a timely tour through feminist sculpture" that offers "a kaleidoscopic range of work by women sculptors." Variety describes it as "an engaging debut" that asserts "the case that art needs activism and activism needs art." Rolling Out praises it as "an unbelievable weekend for Atlanta art and culture" that displays "some remarkable pieces" by Kevin Williams.
The exhibition is also fostering conversations and collaborations among the artists, who share their insights and experiences with each other and the public through talks, workshops, and events. The exhibition is part of a broader project called Post-Hepworth Survey: Female Narrative Sculpture Today, which aims to document and support the work of women sculptors in the UK and beyond.