Artwork description: The work explores contemporary representations of the male body. The context is the impact of patriarchy on men. Glass, both fragile and strong, reflects contemporary masculinity that combines vulnerability and resilience.
Artwork description long: The work is based on research into contemporary representations of the male body and the impact of patriarchy on men. I choose glass because it is both strong and fragile, making it relevant to masculinity. I also use fluidity, hollowness, and transparency of glass to explore male identity. I analyse a system that is oppressive not only towards women, but also imposes specific roles on men and forms on their bodies. I use a metal blow mold as a symbol of patriarchy – a “social corset” that enforces specific postures and behaviours. However, its openwork structure allows liquid glass to flow into gaps, creating swelling bodies. Bodies of resistance emerge, opposing male hegemony. The mold can be blown into from different sides and is used to all works from the “Male Openings” series. The openings remain visible, but their meanings change depending on their location. In “Bulging Figures – Abdomens”, the opening refers to the navel, a trace of former dependence on the mother and a remnant of childhood vulnerability. This reminder of fragility opposes cultural narratives of the strong and independent man. In “Bulging Figures – Lower Abdomens”, the opening refers to the urethra. The curved phallic element is at risk of breaking due to its weight and shape. It no longer symbolises male dominance. Its fragility conflicts with the stereotypical image of men, in which physical potency confirms masculinity. In “Bulging Figures – Buttocks”, the opening refers to the rectum and the “rectal turn” (Leo Bersani, 1987), which shifts attention away from the phallus and its cultural meanings towards the private sphere. I use the subversive potential of anality to confront hegemonic masculinity by revealing what is excluded from representations of the male body.
Artwork description long: The work is based on research into contemporary representations of the male body and the impact of patriarchy on men. I choose glass because it is both strong and fragile, making it relevant to masculinity. I also use fluidity, hollowness, and transparency of glass to explore male identity. I analyse a system that is oppressive not only towards women, but also imposes specific roles on men and forms on their bodies. I use a metal blow mold as a symbol of patriarchy – a “social corset” that enforces specific postures and behaviours. However, its openwork structure allows liquid glass to flow into gaps, creating swelling bodies. Bodies of resistance emerge, opposing male hegemony. The mold can be blown into from different sides and is used to all works from the “Male Openings” series. The openings remain visible, but their meanings change depending on their location. In “Bulging Figures – Abdomens”, the opening refers to the navel, a trace of former dependence on the mother and a remnant of childhood vulnerability. This reminder of fragility opposes cultural narratives of the strong and independent man. In “Bulging Figures – Lower Abdomens”, the opening refers to the urethra. The curved phallic element is at risk of breaking due to its weight and shape. It no longer symbolises male dominance. Its fragility conflicts with the stereotypical image of men, in which physical potency confirms masculinity. In “Bulging Figures – Buttocks”, the opening refers to the rectum and the “rectal turn” (Leo Bersani, 1987), which shifts attention away from the phallus and its cultural meanings towards the private sphere. I use the subversive potential of anality to confront hegemonic masculinity by revealing what is excluded from representations of the male body.