DARJA
LINDER
Salvatio Mundi / Salvation of the World
2020
125 x 100 cm
Oil paint on wood
The painting 'made you look' refers to the ambivalence of dealing with the female body in our society. On the one hand, he is subject to constant sexualization, on the other hand, female body parts are shamed and censored.
This work is about empowering your own sexuality. The hand gesture refers to the game 'made you look', which has meanwhile also become an internet phenomenon. The aim is to get the other person to look into the circle formed with the fingers. Anyone who looks in has lost and must endure the superiority and gloating of the winner.
At the center of the gesture is the nipple, often censored and taboo on social media. The gesture challenges the male gaze and reverses the power imbalance. It is the woman herself who confidently asks to deal with her body. She is no longer the object being stared at, but the subject who playfully reclaims her own sexuality.