Today is International Day of the Girl, an annual observance orchestrated by United Nations that aims to support opportunities for girls and increase awareness of gender inequality around education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care and more. These are bold aims, but such inequalities are rife in ways many of us barely consider—small quotidian rituals that begin at puberty such as dealing with periods, for instance, or undue pressures on women around appearance. That’s why we’re showcasing this simple but evocative painting by Eileen Cooper of a woman painting her nails, alone but for a cat. We covered her for International Women’s Day last year; and the artist is now to be celebrated in her largest show to date, Personal Space, which focuses on the female figure in private and intimate spaces. The show runs from 17 October to 16 November at Huxley-Parlour gallery in London.
