Guerrilla Girls Take On Art World Bias in First NYC Show 'Discrimi-NATION' at Hannah Traore Gallery

The legendary feminist-activist collective, The Guerrilla Girls, are stirring things up once again through Discrimi-NATION: Guerrilla Girls on Bias, Money, and Art, at Hannah Traore Gallery. On view until March 29th, 2025, the exhibition spans nearly four decades of the group’s provocative, truth-telling work and marks their first-ever commercial gallery exhibition in New York City. A showstopping event with notable attendees at the opening included Randy Emmanuel Castillo, Coco Fusco, Jenee Strand, Cierra Britton, Nandi George, Mouna Traoré, Kevin Claiborne, Robin Cembalest, and Anne Verhallen were in attendance; a crowd of enthusiasts.

Since their formation in 1985, the Guerrilla Girls have fiercely challenged systemic inequities in the art world, using bold graphics, sharp humor, and meticulous research to expose discrimination in race, gender, and class. Their trademark anonymity—donning gorilla masks and adopting the names of deceased women artists—keeps the focus on their message rather than individual personalities.

Discrimi-NATION features a powerful selection of posters and interventions, from their early wheat-pasted critiques of gallery representation to more recent works that address the evolving landscape of art-world bias. Iconic pieces like Only 4 Commercial Galleries in NY Show Black Women (1986) and Guerrilla Girls’ Code of Ethics for Art Museums (1990, updated 2018) stand alongside contemporary pieces like Pop Quiz Update (2016), highlighting both persistent inequalities and the shifting dynamics of cultural representation.

“Discrimi-NATION is, at its core, a show about New York and holding the art industry accountable—an extension of the work we’ve been doing since our earliest posters,” a Guerrilla Girl stated in the Press Release. “Hannah Traore Gallery is the first commercial space to approach us with the courage to produce this show. It’s an honor to collaborate with her on our 40th anniversary.”

Hannah Traore Gallery, known for championing underrepresented artists, recognizes the Guerrilla Girls as pioneers whose fearless activism paved the way for a new era of art-making and institutional critique. The gallery’s downtown location echoes the Lower East Side streets where the collective first gained notoriety, making this exhibition a full-circle moment in their ongoing fight for inclusivity in the arts.