Women-only Ladies' Lounge reopens in Australia after legal victory

The Ladies' Lounge, an experiential artwork by Kirsha Kaechele at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, reopened for one month from December 19, 2024, to January 13, 2025, following a successful appeal. The installation, originally launched in December 2020, was reserved for women and featured works by Pablo Picasso, served by male butlers in a green velvet-lined room. In April 2023, a male visitor filed a discrimination complaint, leading to a court ruling that the lounge violated Tasmania's Anti-Discrimination Act of 1998. Kaechele responded by moving the artworks to women's restrooms after the museum installed gender-segregated bathrooms. In September 2024, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal overturned the earlier decision, citing that discrimination is permissible if it promotes equal opportunity for a marginalized group. The artist celebrated the verdict as a victory against patriarchy. The reopening includes commissioned performances and butler service, offering women a 'truce from patriarchy.'