Bringing together pristine, still life paintings of cleaning products, she-wees and baby bottles with surreal constructions, Emily Hartley-Skudder’s latest body of work responds to Palmerston North’s beloved public toilets, Ladies Rest, in Te Marae o Hine, the Square.

CAMEO takes its name from the group ‘Community Action by Mothers and Existing Other users’, who protested the planned additions of the information centre and men’s toilets to Ladies Rest in the early 2000s. Many locals will have their own memories of visiting these facilities, and Hartley-Skudder’s work engages its past to explore current ideas about feminism, intersectionality, cleanliness and control.

A place to ‘relieve yourself’ or ‘powder your nose’—on the surface, public bathrooms seem benign and functional. However, their design and relationship to bodily functions and gender also makes them political.

Shining a light on the everyday conveniences we take for granted, Hartley-Skudder encourages us to consider what a safe space to rest means for everyone, and who gets to participate in public life versus who does not.

Emily Hartley-Skudder is the inaugural recipient of the Fair Trust Art Prize.

Te Manawa Museum & Gallery CAMEO Exhibition: Open Daily 22 August 2026 - 02 July 2027
Ladies' Rest CAMEO Exhibition Panel Discussion: 5.30pm-7.30pm 24th October 2026 at the Ladies' Rest, Te Marae o Hine, The Square.