Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), located in the Australian state of Tasmania, has recently been thrust into a lawsuit controversy after its "Ladies Lounge" exhibition denies entry from men.
MONA's 'Ladies Lounge' Exhibition
The exclusively-for-women installation was the brainchild of artist Kirsha Kaechele, who borrowed the exhibit's name from a moment in Australian history when women were barred entry to pubs and were only allowed to drink in side rooms that charge exorbitant prices, or sometimes, not at all.
MONA's exhibit was purportedly launched to highlight this hypocrisy through a satirical take on the nation's discriminatory policy that was abolished in 1965. The "Ladies Lounge" offers a premium experience only to female guests, providing them with champagne served by male butlers.
Alongside the opulent service, viewers also had the pleasure of enjoying highly acclaimed works from masters like Picasso and Sidney Nolan.
According to Kaechele's statement to BBC, the exclusive show is an "essential space" in terms of clearly highlighting a specific "perspective" inside this "strange and disjointed world of male domination."
Since it opened in December 2020, the "Ladies Lounge" in MONA has sailed with its feminist message "smoothly," that is until recently.
The Legal Complaint Against MONA
When a visitor from South Wales, named Jason Lau, went to MONA last April 2023, he was denied access to the installations, as were other men.
This is something did not take kindly to, prompting him to launch a legal complaint against the institution for discriminating against his gender, which he says is a breach of state policy.
While the museum did agree he was discriminated against, a spokesperson said that was the intended experience the installation was created for.
MONA's legal representative Catherine Scott shared a similar notion to the local publication Mercury, saying, "Part of the experience is being denied something that is desired."
She added that the law allows for such discrimination if it is "designed to promote equal opportunity for a group of people who are disadvantaged or have a special need because of a prescribed attribute."
In response, Lau argued that this particular section of the law is intended to only allow "positive discrimination" to occur, not "negative discrimination." Consequently, the complainant is requesting either the shuttering of the "Ladies Lounge" or for it to finally admit men.
In addition to that, Lau said that because of this ban, men should pay less for a ticket to MONA than women.
As of now, the date for a decision by Tribunal Deputy President Richard Grueber concerning the case has yet to be announced.
Kaechaele told BBC that, if necessary, she would take the case to the Supreme Court and said that, either way, the message of the installation is made all the more powerful in the face of potentially being forced to close.
