Le Nemesiache: Reclaiming Mythological Rituals

Conjuring the collective joy of the Naples-based feminist artist’s group grounded in cosmological creativity and justice through mythological rituals

Cofounded in 1970 by multidisciplinary artist Lina Mangiacapre, Le Nemesiache is a Neapolitan feminist and pacifist artist group that has fostered an experimental artistic practice and a way of being in the world rooted in feminism, mythology, folktales, sci-fi and radical imagination, while also introducing “transfeminism” in the early ’80s. Throughout their long-lasting practice spanning many decades, the group has retrieved an androgynous mythosophy to transcend art as mere representation and challenge the feminine as a modern identity category. Their distinct transformative approach within both Italian and Western feminist art history has led to not only an interdisciplinary practice but also the creation of a new political language, grounded in cosmological creativity and justice through mythological rituals. Rife with archival photographs, manifestos and unpublished documents, this first monograph on Le Nemesiache spans film, performance, poetry, protest, collage, music and textiles.