The exhibition takes its title from artist Frances Stark’s publication ‘The Architect & The Housewife’, in which she introduces the characters 'the architect’ and 'the housewife’ to explore power dynamics in the art world and in life.

The exhibition takes its title from artist Frances Stark’s publication ‘The Architect & The Housewife’, in which she introduces the characters 'the architect’ and 'the housewife’ to explore power dynamics in the art world and in life. The 20 international artists in this exhibition do the same, opening the museum's windows and doors, ushering in fresh air and new perspectives.

"May art direct the future!" was the phrase that Alessandro Mendini used in the 1990s to convince Groningen’s politicians and funders about his unconventional plans for the Groninger Museum new building. He envisioned a space unlike any other. The starting point was a tea tray set with a teapot, cups and a sugar bowl. What if this model was scaled up? Could you create a new kind of museum, a place inviting to the public and a haven for art?

The Groninger Museum on Museumeiland 1 is the answer. Created by Alessandro Mendini, in collaboration with Michele de Lucchi, Philippe Starck, the collective Coop Himmelb(l)au, and then-director Frans Haks. A unique project that Groningen is proud of and where the imaginative power of art is in full force. A spectacularly polyphonic museum building that still resonates with current times.

However, it is striking that only men were involved in the design process of the building. This gender bias is also reflected in the Groninger Museum's collection: less than 2% of the works are made by women or non-binary people. The group exhibition, The Architect & The Housewife: Cleaning the House, Building the Future reflects on these conditions. Asking who is encouraged to think big? Who gets to design 'the house’ and who takes care of it?