The line for the lady’s room is about to get longer.
A controversial art exhibit meant for women visitors only — titled “Ladies Lounge” and created by artist Kirsha Kaechele at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) — has hidden the works of Pablo Picasso in the women’s bathroom after a court ruling that it must admit men.
The museum was given 28 days to cease denying entry to the exhibit based on gender. The original “Ladies Lounge” setup has been closed ever since.
Taking a new approach, Kaechele — who is married to MONA’s billionaire owner David Walsh — has hung two paintings by the late Spanish artist each in a single-user restroom, according to a video posted on social media on Monday.
“A new exhibition at MONA. Just for ladies… (We never had female toilets at MONA before, they were all unisex. But then the Ladies Lounge had to close thanks to a lawsuit brought on by a man. And I just didn’t know what to do with all those Picassos …” she captioned the post.
The Instagram carousel also included photos of a sign outside the original exhibit reading “Closed for Reform” and a woman wearing a green velvet glove giving the middle finger.
Kaechele went on to claim that the museum would seek to reclassify and reopen “as a church / school / boutique glamping accommodation” under section 26 of Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act, which permits under what circumstances people can be denied access based on gender.
Instagram / @kirshakaechele
A formal complaint was filed against MONA after a man was denied entry to the show.
The $500-a-pop “high tea” experience originally opened in 2020 exclusively welcoming women patrons to be waited on by male butlers, admire some of the museum’s most acclaimed works, sip 400-year-old wines and savor “preposterous morsels” prepared by the museum’s executive chef, Vince Trim, all in a “tremendously lavish space.”
The exhibit was inspired by Kaechele’s “scandalous socialite” great-grandmother who hosted lavish ladies-only parties.
Instagram / @kirshakaechele
However, Jason Lau, a visitor from New South Wales, was shocked when he learned the validity of the “Ladies Lounge” name upon arrival and was denied entry — despite having paid for a ticket.
“The ladies’ lounge serves as a sanctuary for women, addressing the historical exclusion and imbalance in artistic representation,” Kaechele said during her testimony, according to Australia’s The Mercury.
Lau, meanwhile, countered via video: “Any layperson would expect that if you buy a ticket, you would expect the provision of goods and services in line with the law,” the local outlet reported.
Hiding the Picassos in the restrooms isn’t Kaechele’s first form of a strategic protest.
During the trial, Kaechele arrived at the courthouse supported by a group of about two dozen women dressed in similar navy blue, business casual outfits and bright red lipstick.
Charlotte Vignau / Mona
The group put on a less-than-subtle performance, sitting in complete stillness, crossing their legs and resting their heads on their fists, clutching their hearts or peering down their spectacles as a choreographed routine throughout the hearing, according to the BBC.
“The ladies’ lounge serves as a sanctuary for women, addressing the historical exclusion and imbalance in artistic representation,” Kaechele said during her testimony, according to Australia’s The Mercury.
In the end, the artist and her supporters sauntered out of the hearing with a synchronized dance to Robert Palmer’s 1988 hit “Simply Irresistible.”
Kaechele has since announced plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
“I think it’s worth exercising the argument, not only for the Ladies Lounge, but for the good of art, and the law,” she said in a statement.
