Women Groundbreakers
Resilience and Defiance Across History
Women Groundbreakers explores the lives and works of 33 women across the sciences, arts and humanities who devoted their lives to changing the world for the better. We travel around the world and back through the centuries to learn about the invention of Kevlar, the discovery of the earth’s solid core, the history of Abstract painting, the fight against malaria, the fight for civil rights in America, the very dawn of classical mathematics, our relationship with our ape ancestors, and countless other incredible discoveries and ideas…
Below is a selection of works.
The Artemisinin Harvest (For Tu Youyou)
Oil on Shaped Canvas | 87 x 82 cm | 2021
Tu Youyou, a pharmaceutical chemist, pioneered the discovery of artemisinin, a compound derived from traditional Chinese herbs, which has been instrumental in the effective treatment of malaria worldwide. Her work saved millions of lives globally and earned her the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Caged Bird's Song (For Maya Angelou)
Oil on Faux Silk | 95 x 82 cm | 2020
Maya Angelou was a celebrated author, poet, and civil rights activist whose powerful autobiographies, such as *I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings*, gave voice to Black female experiences in America. She challenged societal norms through her art, profoundly influencing modern literature and cultural identity.
Frequency Landscape (For Hedy Lamarr)
Oil and Mixed Media | 81 x 74 cm | 2020
Hedy Lamarr, an iconic actress of the golden age of Hollywood, was also a self-taught inventor who co-developed an early form of spread-spectrum technology during WWII. This invention, originally intended for radio-guided torpedoes, became the conceptual foundation for modern wireless communication like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.