AN exhibition featuring the forgotten work of women has been praised by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The show, which has just opened in Govan, shines a light on women and their caring roles during the pandemic as well as the daily injustices and discrimination many face.

Woven In Govan is the Scottish contribution to Woven Art Network, a larger European project led by Platform TU from Mariupol which has been left in ruins by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Partners in Mariupol are facing unimaginable adversity and seeing Woven in Govan given this platform is even more poignant,” said a spokesperson for cultural social enterprise Fablevision, the Scottish organisers of the project.

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Wovan In Govan also supports the refurbishment of the Kinning Park Complex, which has been at the heart of the community for over 100 years and was restored after a long campaign led by the women of the area.

Sturgeon, who is MSP for Glasgow Southside, said: “I am, as ever, so proud of the community I represent for taking up these issues and bringing this exhibition together.

“By expressing the stories of local women through art, it brings a different and unique perspective and I have no doubt will lead to an increased understanding of the roles the women involved play in their families, workplaces and communities.

“I will never be able to express just how grateful I am for the work of our paid and unpaid carers, particularly over the course of the last two and a half years.

“We know that unpaid caring roles are disproportionately carried out by women – and that’s only been exacerbated by the pandemic. However, the pandemic shone a light on society’s carers, whether paid or unpaid, and brought a newfound recognition and appreciation of the vital work that they do.

“Working with and welcoming other countries and cultures has always been part of the story of the Kinning Park Complex, and partnering with Platform TU in Mariupol must have been an incredibly moving experience given the impact of the war there, particularly on women.”

Sturgeon added that the exhibition was particularly special because it was being held in the newly renovated Kinning Park Complex, as she had been involved in the campaign to save the building for almost 30 years.

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“From the first days of the sit-in, women have led the campaign to save the Kinning Park Complex, and I could not be happier that it is now under the ownership of the community, beautifully refurbished with a long, bright and secure future ahead,” said Sturgeon.

The touring exhibition was first showcased in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament, where the project contributed towards parliamentary debates on the structure of a National Care Service.

It was created by commissioned artists responding to the stories and voices of women working as carers and/or in healthcare and includes pieces by Ailie Rutherford, Alex Wilde, Audrey O’Brien, Deirdre Nelson, Donna Rutherford, t s Beall and Ursula Kam-Ling Cheng.

“Woven in Govan is an incredibly important project for the health service,” said Jackie Sands, Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS strategic arts and health co-ordinator.

The exhibition runs in Govan until July 21.