A rasp that transforms into action: In search of female artists, the visibility of women in the Academia, and sharing knowledge

Abstract

The article problematizes the artistic and archival activities of Iwona Demko, concerning the first female students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Recognizing her position in the Academia as a woman, the artist is aware of the difficulties that her predecessors may have experienced when wanting to study art at a time when only men were allowed to enter the academy. Bringing back to history the figures of forgotten first female students, Demko poses questions about the place of women in the history of art, the ways of constructing this discourse, but also about the image of the academy as an educational institution. While looking at these activities, I try to consider the ways of producing and sharing knowledge initiated by the artist.