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Scenes of rest have long been a generative motif for women artists, helping them to articulate complex and differing experiences of family, health and work. The Sleepers brings together a century of works across a variety of mediums: paintings, prints and textiles, including a collaborative quilt. In their own unique way, all offer a counterpoint to the familiar artistic genre of the reclining nude, a figure that is almost always a woman. In the hands of historic male artists, such as Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus (c.1510), the pose carries associations and projections of idealised sensuality and passivity. In this exhibition, we see work made by women artists on their own terms.  

Taking its name from one of the three prints on display by wood engraver and painter Gwen Raverat (1885–1957), a Cambridge artist for whom the sleeping subject became an enduring theme, The Sleepers surveys works by 12 artists to explore why sleeping, dreaming and resting have been depicted by women artists. It also asks us to consider who has access to these vital moments of relief and respite.

This exhibition, and its accompanying programme, aims to unpack the differing relationships between women and rest, and consider how they inform our understandings of time, labour and care.     

We spoke to Laura Moseley, to find out more about her experience of curating an exhibition for the Women’s Art Collection.

What inspired you to curate this exhibition?

The exhibition was inspired by Gwen Raverat’s 1927 lithograph Sleepers, which stood out to me for its beautiful portrayal of rest and vulnerability. When I first encountered the work, it resonated on both a visual and deeply personal level. Shortly after joining The Women’s Art Collection, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the same condition that Raverat’s husband, Jacques, lived with. As I delved into the Raverats’ story, particularly Gwen’s creative practice during a period of care and personal hardship, I found parallels to my own experience. That connection became the foundation of The Sleepers, an exploration of rest not just as recuperation, but as resistance, care, and creativity, particularly in the lives of women and disabled artists.

With these ideas in mind, how did you then embark on the curation process?

The curation process involved looking at The Women’s Art Collection with this new framework, and I began to notice a recurring motif: women depicted in moments of rest — sleeping, reclining, daydreaming — often within domestic interiors. I revisited the collection with this lens, informed by feminist and disability research and literature around rest, and considered how these works could speak to broader political and personal questions. I have also included loans from artists and a new work by Nancy Willis and Jenny Polak, to extend this theme into contemporary conversations around rest.

Is there a piece of work that you are particularly excited to share with the public?

The Sleepers Community Quilt was collaboratively made with the Cambridge Women's Resource Centre who have offered educational courses, creative group activities and individual support to the women of Cambridge for over 40 years. Over a period of six months, myself and the artist Cait Moreton-Lisle worked with the Art Group at the CWRC in a series of conversational workshops to explore their relationship to rest and sleep, whilst working on a square of fabric to capture their creative responses. For many of the women, this was their first experience working with embroidery, and also of thinking explicitly about their relationship to rest. Sentiments that were expressed include difficulty falling asleep due to a racing mind, the unexpected relief of doing nothing, the calming effect of relaxing with a glass of wine, music or their cat, and a recurring sense of guilt associated with rest. It represents the everyday realities and reflections on rest from people whose voices are too often overlooked in art spaces — it’s tender, political, and deeply rooted in care, and I'm very excited for people to see it.

The Sleepers will be on display from 18 September 2025 – 22 February 2026

Curated by Laura Moseley with curatorial support from Harriet Loffler. Exhibition design by Sally Coleman.

This exhibition was generously supported by East Anglia Art Fund, Cambridge Arts Society and Backstitch Cambridge.

Artists: Joke Amusan, Helen Cammock, Ann Dowker, Tracey Emin, Laura Footes, Bambou Gili, Kate Montgomery, Celia Paul, Jenny Polak, Gwen Raverat, Lucy Raverat and Nancy Willis.