Exhibition shines light on being a female artist

An art exhibition has opened in the UK's "toughest place to be a girl".

The Feminine Urge, currently running at the Our Big Picture gallery in Grimsby town centre, showcases the work of 10 local female artists.

Curator Lucy Brooke said it "directly responds to the role of being a woman in the area", as well as shining a light on "the realities of being a woman who creates art".

Earlier this month, North East Lincolnshire was ranked the toughest place in the UK to be a girl, according to research carried out by children's charity Plan International UK.

It explored factors affecting girls' lives, such as education, poverty, health, violence and voice.

Jo Skinny, one of the artists involved in the exhibition, said people had been empowered by the exhibition.

"People who have come through the door have been blown away. Some had never stepped foot in an art gallery before."

Ms Brooke, who is from Hull but has been working at the gallery for the past year, said the artists were "keen to get involved" in the exhibition.

She added: "It's really important that we have more female artists on show, especially in a female-led space in the heart of a place like Grimsby, which...has quite a bad reputation for being not a very cultural place and not a very visually interesting place."

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