Kumst Opening

This exhibition dives deep into the stories and experiences of women, combining the 100 WOMEN installation, evocative paintings and photographs of women artists, and personal installations on shelves that bring our private safe spaces into the public eye.

Installation

We have created one safe space—a sanctuary, a portal, a cave. This is a place of strength, joy, and creative energy, but also where wounds and traumas are stored. Where the essence of our experiences are acknowledged, a place of absolute safety and truthfulness.

100 WOMEN addresses the taboo of domestic violence using ordinary textile and paper. The cotton textile base represents the labor of women in the home. Crocheting, knitting have always been the domain of women. They gathered while creating everyday items and shared their troubles within the community. Flowers, forming an inner crown within the safe space of the vagina symbolize gestures often used by partners to mask pain, as well as the longing for a flourishing home. Each of the 100 flowers represents a voice—light for those who felt safe in their home and dark for those who did not. The installation reveals that half of the women surveyed did not have their basic need for safety met.

Concept: Valentine Švihálek    Design: Švihálek, Šiška, Hanganu, Lei    Performance: Ehret, Drdácká, Vítová

Next up, Prague...