The «Dowry» Project Concept
Perceptions of what constitutes the «ideal» woman have been shaped for centuries within a patriarchal society. Expectations regarding her behavior, appearance, and social role were passed down through generations via upbringing, domestic guidance, and criticism, gradually becoming internalized parts of female self-perception.
Today, the woman’s standing has significantly changed, yet many past assumptions continue to influence her decisions and actions. Having been absorbed in childhood, these assumptions transform into internal limitations, causing her to doubt her own choices, experience guilt, and align her desires with others' expectations.
My project is an attempt to make this intangible inheritance tangible, to question its authority, and to suggest the possibility of liberation from prescribed norms that do not align with the demands of contemporary life.
The project consists of an artist’s book and a video. In the book, conventional reprimands and advice intersect with the tangible world of feminine daily life—through domestic textiles and traditional handicraft items.
In the video, I show how stereotypes imposed in childhood gradually restrict the freedom of self-expression, suppress individuality, and shape personality under the influence of others' expectations.
The concept of the book «Dowry»
At the heart of this book is my personal experience of confronting the expectations placed upon women. From childhood, I heard advice from relatives and acquaintances about what a woman should be. Later, this was supplemented by reproach that I was not a good enough homemaker, wife, or mother. These words, presented as unassailable truths, continue to influence my self-perception, even though perceptions of female roles and life itself have changed significantly. I perceive them as an inheritance received against my will.
The image of this burdensome dowry defines the material embodiment of the book. I combine familiar admonitions and guidance with items related to domestic femininity—things traditionally cherished and passed down through generations: vintage fabrics, photographs, and items of women’s needlework. Along with them, the notions of female responsibilities, behavioral rules, and acceptable boundaries of choice are inherited.
Throughout the entire book runs a continuous, vibrant line that connects heterogeneous materials and pages. Similar to recurring advice, it bridges generations and accompanies the woman throughout her life.
By gathering personal memories, reproaches, and material evidence from the past into a cohesive whole, I make visible the invisible heritage that continues to shape my life. For me, this book is an attempt to comprehend the impact of inherited mandates, to re-evaluate them, and to decide what I do not wish to pass on from this «dowry.»
«Dowry» video concept
In this video, I demonstrate how childhood domestic admonishments and criticisms, absorbed by a woman, gradually become internalized restrictions that continue to dictate her behavior and influence her choices.
The process can be metaphorized as folding a female portrait. Under the influence of repetitive prescriptions, the image gradually loses its original integrity and recognizability, shrinking the space of its own identity. However, even the awareness and reevaluation of imposed attitudes do not allow one to fully escape their influence. Like creases in paper, the traces of what has been experienced remain a part of the individual.
This video is a reflection on how inherited ideas of the «proper» woman continue to shape her image, even when the old rules lose their power.
Exhibition sketch
