Barbora Maštrlová in her second solo exhibition called “Crying women get wet” presents a multimedia mix of pieces created in the past three years. In them she primarily explores the phenom- enon of femininity, sexuality and time as much as the affiliated topics of power, romance, reproduction, death and immortality. She intentionally chooses topics that are very provocative at first sight and often balance on the edge of controversy. That we can guess just from the name of the exhibition, which is doubt-induc- ing and self-ironic. Neither the name nor the pieces are missing the aspect of humor.

The question “Where do crying women get wet?” presents itself. Is it on their cheeks while they try to think deeper about their existence? Gender determination, the binding by the psychologi- cal and physical demands of a right behavior. A convoluted circle of demands and expectations, that is not so easily let go of, if pos- sible at all. Or is it the female genitalia getting wet from sexual arousal? Sadomasochism rising from the fascination by power. A wide scale of violence used on own individual self or on the sur- roundings - men, society and children; children securing immor-

tality of a kind and a cycle of living. Or are both of these options inseparable and tightly linked?
How much is a woman predetermined to such emotional stress biologically, sociologically or by her own choice? How much is her view of the world and her part in it burdened by the taught perception, intoxicated by the melancholic romance and other questionable projections of different characters. How can she break free? Can she? Or should she even?

The author does not mentor, does not explain or make people see this issue from one way. She rather just asks questions that float around each and every piece of art exhibited and with them she helps to create a multi-layered content, often referring to a wider cultural and pop-cultural context. She reduces informa- tion to an essence and this reduction happens to be the most distinct feature in her thinking and work. This way the pieces created are functioning on their own and their mutual relation- ship enables the viewer a deeper dive into the topic or rather into the plot taking action on the background of the whole in- stallation. 

 

curator of exhibition: Helena Sequens

 

more about Barbora Maštrlová >