It’s certainly not every day that washing up becomes a talking point. Nor does the washing machine really enter everyday conversation. And while it may be almost 40 years since women took to the streets allegedly burning their bras in protest against woman’s derogatory role in society, contemporary feminists still argue that things haven’t really changed that much. Sure, women may have a more equal role in the workplace but there’s still an undisputed discrimination when it comes to salaries and top positions.
Then take a look at what happens behind closed doors; in the vast majority of cases it’s still the woman who spends more time behind the kitchen sink. That’s not to mention entertaining the kids, doing the laundry, sorting out the supermarket shopping and the list goes on. Add to that more serious issues at hand including domestic violence and sexual abuse and the picture isn’t a rosy one. Shouldn’t women be working towards further change rather than take the status quo for granted?
In September 2006 during the Urban Soul Arts Festival in Nicosia, local artists Lia Lapithi and Marianna Kafaridou joined forces and introduced themselves to the art loving public as ‘Washing up Ladies’, trapped between modernism and tradition. Aiming to turn certain social stereotypes on their head while pushing for change, on Wednesday evening they open an exhibition at the University of Cyprus. Go along to the venue and you can expect to see various multimedia works that probe the balance of power between men and women.
The point is that conspicuous practices against women have today been replaced by implicit yet pervasively underlying gender discriminations which often go unnoticed. They argue that the challenge for contemporary feminists lies chiefly in the elimination of the collective illusion that Cypriot women are fully emancipated and equal to men. “Most people label feminists as man bashers but it’s simply not the case,” points out Lia. “A feminist is just a woman working with other women for gender equality.”
Aiming to lure the audience into a place that defies any sort of categorisations and inflicted labels, the whole exhibition is taking place within the framework of a project called ‘Sorry to Burst Your Bubble but Gender Issues are Still Unresolved’. Consisting of visual works and installations, a highlight of the exhibition includes two video screenings starring the artists themselves.
In the first named ‘Hurting the Washing Machine’, the audience is confronted by two figures, visible only from behind with a mane of long hair acting as the only real evidence of their sexuality. The audience will then get to see them hit and vehemently destroy the machine that the artists argue has so far wrongly been portrayed as liberating women. “Their action is but a protestation against a modern mythology of the better life of women thanks to the mechanisation of a chore that isn’t uplifting in the slightest,” the artists explain. “What woman, no matter how successful in the workplace, doesn’t return home to a bag of empty laundry?” questions Lia.
With plenty of role playing and games as part of the exhibition, men will even be given miniature washing machines to take home with them. “It’s still largely considered absolutely decadent for a male to do washing, we still live in a macho society. We aim to put across messages with plenty of self sarcasm and humour, even ridiculing ourselves to draw attention towards our work.”
Then comes the next video named ‘Sorry to Burst Your Bubble But…” which sees two women partly enclosed in an all pink space, the kind of room that you might expect to belong to a Barbie doll; a fetish object and symbol of the code of female beauty in our modern society par excellence. Dressed in pink, the women in question look like they’ve jumped out of the pages of a magazine, living dolls that epitomise male fantasies; long legs in mini skirts and high heels, flowing hair, pretty faces and very silent – the ideal objects of desire.
Bursting pink bubbles with their high heels, the act constitutes a symbolic gesture indicating that women need to break free from their cushioned ‘bubbles’ and set the wheels of change in motion.
“I’d say the biggest problem here in Cyprus that needs to be dealt with is that of sexual abuse. You can see it by the number of cabarets opening up; sexual exploitation is everywhere,” says Lia. “Then there’s violence in the home. We just can’t deny that we’re still stuck in male and female role models. The woman is still predominantly the caretaker of the home and you barely see any women in politics here.” As Lia and Marianna strive to get their points across, they certainly aren’t willing to stand alone behind any kitchen sink.
Washing up Ladies
A joint multi media exhibition by Lia Lapithi and Marianna Kafaridou attacking female stereotypes. Opens September 15, 7.30pm until September 29. University of Cyprus Conference Room, 75 Kallipoleos Avenue, Nicosia. Monday-Friday: 8am-6pm daily. Tel: 22-894000
