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    Stefdies with friends: The Audacity – The Female Gaze & Taking Up Space

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    A Multi-Sensory, All-Women Art Takeover at Boxpark Shoreditch
    Public Exhibition: 4-27 July 2025

    This July, renowned photographic performance artist Steph Dies (Stephanie Leigh Rose) brings a radical and celebratory new exhibition to Boxpark Shoreditch. STEFDIES With Friends: THE AUDACITY – The Female Gaze & Taking Up Space is a bold group show featuring work from 21 UK-based female-identifying artists, unified by a shared mission: to unapologetically take up space.

    Running from 4 to 27 July, the exhibition is a living, breathing feminist ecosystem-melding large-scale visual art, performance, workshops, yoga, and mother-friendly community programming into a space of creativity, healing, and joyful resistance.

    The show’s signature event, a participatory mass “die-in” performance, takes place on opening night. Audience members are invited to lie face-down in solidarity – a hilarious, emotional act of resistance and shared presence – and a performance-art originally pioneered by Leigh Rose in the anti-selfie movement to global acclaim.

    “In a world where women are told to be smaller, quieter, younger, this is the audacity of doing the opposite,” says Stef. “This show is absurd, emotional, and joyful. It’s a big, loud invitation to take up space without apology.”

    All 21 participating artists are united by the shared theme of taking up space: physically, emotionally, and creatively. Their work challenges the notion that women must shrink to fit into the spaces allowed them. Instead, this show amplifies female voices, celebrates vulnerability, and provides a platform to connect, skill-share, and collaborate.

    The driving force behind THE AUDACITY is Stephanie Leigh Rose, a multi-disciplinary artist and performer best known for her Instagram-famous alter ego, STEFDIES, a character that lies face-down in absurd, everyday, or extraordinary locations around the world. With over 80,000 followers, the project turns Leigh Rose’s personal experiences with sexism, racism, and ageism into something subversive, humorous, and communal.

    Curated by STEFDIES, THE AUDACITY showcases:

    • 12 solo wall installations
    • A dedicated newcomers’ gallery and space for a few familiar faces
    • A ground mural, tactile textile works, pottery, fashion
    • Daily events, including: Artist-led workshops (painting, collage, kids’ sessions), live painting
    • Yoga and massage pop-ups
    • Mother-and-baby mornings

    Highlights include:

    • Karen Turner, known for her emotionally charged portraiture and exploration of the female form
    • Willow Stacey, whose multi-media practice interrogates objectification with both humour and intensity
    • Several exciting emerging artists from underrepresented communities, hand-selected for their bold, boundary-pushing work

    Backed by an MFA in classical theatre and performance art, Leigh Rose has worked with globally recognised collaborators and institutions, while also raising awareness around eco-activism, motherhood, and alternative cultural spaces. Her ethos radical visibility, collective care, and unapologetic self-expression infuses the entire exhibition.

    THE AUDACITY is the debut outing of what Leigh Rose hopes will evolve into an ongoing collective and creative movement, offering sustainable, inclusive platforms for female artists to grow beyond institutional constraints. Future plans include long-term residencies, mentorship programs, and collaborative exhibitions under The AUDACITY banner.

    Participating artists:

    Public Exhibition: 4–27 July 2025
    Location: Boxpark Shoreditch Gallery, London

    Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 12–7pm Sat & Sun 1-7pm
    Special sessions: 9am–12pm & 7–9pm

    Closing Celebration & Event: Saturday, 26 July 2025

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