I’m Not Happy about It

• object, 2023

What is offered today to those raised as women for the future is ersatz living, devoid of subjectivity, pleasure, respect, satisfaction, selfesteem. In patriarchal fantasies, a woman is deprived of everything that is the most solidifying substance of life.

The brush is an everyday object found by the artist in a general store in her hometown. Lying among various cheap products, it was adorned in a sexy paper dress – its packaging. Its flirtatious smile heralded the joy of washing up pots or cleaning the sink. The artist bought it, wiped the smile off and, imitating the original print, turned it into a self-portrait of herself trapped in the oppression of patriarchal duties. Advertising, usually created by heterosexual cis men to attract the attention of other heterosexual cis men, often depicts women in an objectified, sexualised way. However, some women working in the industry also use sexist stereotypes in their work. This is due to their traditional upbringing to function in a patriarchal reality, in which one has to fight primarily for the attention of men. The photograph of the brush has also been reprinted on a banner placed in Legnicka Street in Wrocław. These elements of the urban landscape usually speak loudly, but in this case the featured object is unable to the speak. As usual, frustration is silent.