A female-led art exhibition exploring "resistance, care, survival and feminist refusal" is heading to Stoke-on-Trent this month.

'Anarchy Is Her Birthright' is a new group exhibition curated by artist April Star Davis, which will be on display at ACAVA Spode Works Studios from Friday 20 February to Sunday 1 March.

The exhibition, which emerged from a month-long residency awarded to Davis through Three Counties Open Art, marks one of the largest all-female and female-identifying art shows in the area in over a decade.

Instead of using the residency for a solo presentation, Davis chose to give the space back to the community by creating a collective platform for 14 women and female-identifying artists working across mixed media, installation, painting, and politically engaged practice.

"Rather than centring myself, I wanted to use this residency to amplify voices," Davis said.

"I know what it feels like to be an outsider, and this felt like a way to build something generous, defiant, and genuinely shared."

This decision reflects Davis' long-standing commitment to mutual aid, DIY culture, and feminist collaboration.

'Anarchy Is Her Birthright' is not funded by Arts Council England and is intentionally self-organised, reinforcing its roots in grassroots art-making and shared space rather than institutional hierarchy.

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Davis cites her mentor, British artist Gee Vaucher, as a key influence on the exhibition's ethos.

Vaucher's work, recently celebrated in the 'Women in Revolt!' exhibition at the Tate Modern, foregrounds feminist resistance, anti-authoritarian politics, and the power of visual language as dissent.

Davis explained that Vaucher's uncompromising political art and refusal to self-censor runs directly through her curatorial approach.

She added: "The exhibition brings together artists at different stages of their practice, united by a commitment to truth-telling, resistance, and embodied experience.

"Together, they form a rare concentration of women-led work in the region — making Anarchy Is Her Birthright a significant cultural moment for Stoke-on-Trent and its surrounding counties."

The 'Anarchy is Her Birthright' exhibition will be on at Spode Works Studios, Elenora Street from Friday 20 February to Sunday 1 March.