…of the sort of Greta Garbo (2021). Fabric, steel, harness straps, metal and plastic attachments. Dimensions: 150x150x160 cm (59x59x63 in)

In the work …of the sort of Greta Garbo I focus on gender and its contemporary context. The references are related to the work of Judith Butler and Leslie Scalapino, as indicated by the title of the work. In this hybrid project, I assembled a crinoline and a linesman safety belt, in a traction-repulsion relationship. With this conflicting state of the two forms I define the entrapment that takes place at ‘zero point’ and which ultimately leads to the feeling of melancholy.

Back to the Victorian era, the crinoline was much more than a fashion trend. It was a means of protection against viruses and sexual harassment. It also indicated a woman’s social status. Additionally to all these, the work …of the sort of Greta Garbo constitutes a literal and metaphorical cage. It consists of concentric steel circles of gender stereotypes and discrimination that seem to be perpetuated. Thus the crinoline and its restricting nature contrasts with the freedom of a worker who is ‘floating’, depicted here by the linesman safety belt.

This work was created especially for the show ‘Gender Melancholia’. Curating: Faidra Vasileiadou & Thanos Makris, The Project Gallery, 2021

Related works: The Colour Catcher Project (2021)