Tasmanian Supreme Court Rules Mona’s Ladies Lounge Legit

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The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) may be allowed to reopen their Ladies Lounge following a decision by Tasmania’s Supreme Court on Friday.

Justice Shane Marshall ruled that the Ladies Lounge was not discriminatory.

The ‘intention was to promote equal opportunity by drawing attention to present and past societal disadvantage to women by providing them with the concept of a “flipped universe”, he said. It provides ‘women with a rare glimpse of what it is like to be advantaged rather than disadvantaged.’

In April, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s deputy president, Richard Grueber, found that museum-goer Jason Lau had been discriminated against by not being allowed to enter the lounge on the basis of his gender.

The case will now return to the tribunal for reconsideration.

Kirsha Kaechele, who designed the lounge (and forged Picasso paintings displayed inside), said, ‘in 30 seconds the patriarchy was smashed, and the verdict demonstrates a simple truth: women are better than men.’

On TikTok, Julia Fox—who starred in the movie Uncut Gems, and was referenced in the Charli XCX song ‘360’—lip synced Kaechele’s comments with a caption reading ‘when I cancel my Uber eats grocery order cuz they assigned me a male shopper’.

Fox says she hates the patriarchy, and now dresses to reject the male gaze.

Kaechele gushed about Fox on Instagram—‘my spirit animal’, ‘my philosopher beauty’, ‘a comedic glamourpuss’—and invited her to do a show at Mona. —[O]

Main image: Kirsha Kaechele outside Tasmania's Supreme Court. Courtesy Mona.