For my second solo exhibition, Crying Women Get Wet, I presented a multimedia selection of works created between 2004 and 2014. In them, I explored the phenomena of femininity, sexuality, and time, as well as related themes of power, romance, reproduction, death, and immortality.
My aim was for each piece to stand on its own, while their interplay would allow viewers to immerse themselves more deeply in the theme – even into the irrational inner processes playing out beneath the surface of the installation.
I deliberately chose a title that is both unsettling and self-ironic. Its obvious comedic aspect lightens otherwise serious topics, while also serving as a conceptual intersection for all the exhibited works.
Why this title? It raises the question: Where do women get wet when they cry? On their faces – from tears they can’t hold back when reflecting deeply on their own existence? Or between their legs – from arousal? Gendered expectations place psychological and physical demands on women to behave “correctly.” Escaping this vicious cycle of expectations is difficult – if it is even possible.
Then comes the sadomasochism of society, the fascination with power – to dominate or to be dominated? A wide spectrum of violence applied to oneself or to others. Where and how do women apply this violence – to men, to society, to children who ensure a sense of immortality?
To what extent is a woman’s emotional burden determined by biology, by society, or by her own choice? How much is her experience of the world shaped by learned perceptions, melancholic romanticism, and other questionable projections? And can she ever break free – and should she?
Thank you to The Dancing House Gallery for trusting my work and giving me the chance to exhibit at such an iconic place – it was truly an honour!
