Monday, April 22, 2024

Match of the Matriarchs and other Amazonomachies

Match of the Matriarchs and other Amazonomachies by Donna Dodson is the first solo exhibition by a female artist hosted by the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF). Match of the Matriarchs centers on women’s stories, women’s lives, and women's place in the history of chess. It includes the world's first and only monumental, life-sized chess set, which contains 32-large scale wooden sculptures representing all-female representations of cephalopods battling cetaceans. 


The exhibition also showcases eight additional “Amazon” sculptures from her "Sheroes" series depicting historical, literary, and mythological female heroes such as Mulan and Black Panther; a minotaur; Tomyris, a queen of Turkey; references to a Dodson's great aunt; Cybele; and Lakshmibai, a queen of India.



Debuting in the exhibition is The Madwoman of Chess or Autonomous was a Woman, which was commissioned by the World Chess Hall of Fame and will be part of the museum’s permanent collection. This dynamic and powerful sculpture harkens back to the backlash received when there was a major change to the rules of chess— the queen transformed from a piece with limited movement to one that combined the powers of the bishop and the rook. Some called this new version of the ancient game “madwoman’s chess.”


The catalog that accompanies the exhibition features essays by Shannon Bailey (Chief Curator of the WCHOF), Cate McQuaid (Boston Globe art critic), Dr Kurt Steinberg (COO at Peabody Essex Museum) and Jennifer Shahade (World champion chess and poker player). Links to my interviews with Woman Grand Master Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, and video tours of the exhibition with Chief Curator Shannon Bailey can be found on my website.

Mini Match of the Matriarchs, 2024 by Donna Dodson. Chess set box design and fabrication by Peter Breu. 3d scanning courtesy of Sean O’Reilly, 3D Printsmith. 3d printing courtesy of Jason Enos, Empire Group

The opening was packed and it featured a Spotify playlist, temporary tattoos, a signature cocktail "The Madwoman of Chess", posters, t-shirts and more... Check out all the amazing photos on the WCHOF flickr album.

Queen’s Gambit, Flashlight portrait in collaboration with Paul Weiner, 2024


Supplementing the displays of Dodson’s artwork are marine-related chess sets from the permanent collection of the WCHOF and loans from the distinguished group Chess Collectors International, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary as an organization in 2024. Also included will be videos of underwater sea creatures and places to play chess while learning about variants of the game of chess that are related to marine life and Amazons. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and that is the subject of the WCHOF concurrent show, Clash for the Crown: Celebrating Chess Champions which explores the histories of the World Chess Championship and Women’s World Chess Championship.