Art as Resistance: On Exile, Memory and Feminism with Maria Gvardeitseva

In this unflinching episode of Women United ART PODCAST, I’m joined by Maria Gvardeitseva—an extraordinary Belarusian-born, London-based artist whose practice confronts political exile, memory, and feminism through performance, video, and installation.Maria’s art is both deeply personal and profoundly political. Born in Belarus, she carries the lived experience of displacement and exile, transforming it into work that refuses silence and challenges systems of violence. Her pieces often weave mythology, ritual, and the female body into visceral storytelling—altars of memory and resilience that echo the struggles of women navigating loss, identity, and transformation.Her work has been shown across Europe, from the Mark Rothko Art Centre to Venice’s Santa Maria delle Grazie, and in 2022 she was a finalist for the Belarusian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.In our conversation, Maria shares her journey of turning trauma into resistance, isolation into community, and silence into an artistic language that insists on visibility. This is a powerful reminder of how art can confront injustice, preserve memory, and create hope in even the darkest of times.Tune in to this episode to witness how Maria redefines the role of art as both resistance and healing.MARIA GVARDEITSEVA www.mariagvardeitseva.comIG: @maria.gvardThis show is brought to you by Women United ART MOVEMENT, a global platform highlighting women in the arts through a wide range of opportunities such as solo and group exhibits, annual art prize for women artists, and quarterly publication.www.womenunitedartmovement.com@womenunited_art_movement@womenunited_art_magazine