23. When I Grow Up [2024]

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Brought to you by

Roxana Scripcaru

Head of the Romanian Postmodern & Contemporary Art Evaluation Office

0736 381 153 [email protected]

23. When I Grow Up [2024]

Andreea Grigoraș

2000, Toplița

Estimate:

EUR 3.000 - 5.000

Not sold

polystyrene, metal frame, fiberglass, acrylic resin, paint and candy lacquer, 65 x 240 x 50 cm

Research information

The artwork was part of the DIPLOMA exhibition, Bucharest, 2024.

The work challenges conventional representations of the body and relationships, creating an environment with meditative valences, as well as a personal narrative about loss and self-discovery, all of these matched by the personal stories of the viewer. The phallic symbolism, associated for centuries with the object of power, still survives, is widespread and is part of the collective imagination. It becomes a central element in the arrangement of an atypical playground, elaborated from a distinctive feminine point of view. The recontextualization in a playful manner imposes the dominant role to be taken over by the people who now use the object with a subversive character. Similarly, the swinging motion created, the up-down relationship, balances and highlights the power games present in intimate relationships, as well as in daily human relations. Behind the playground, there is a hidden girl with a critical attitude, who defies the adult world and somehow, her own growth; who reveals her opinions and feelings with an honesty and authenticity unique to children. She is allowed to have such opinions and feelings, combining a political statement with a sense of amusement, play, and autonomy. The stake of the work is the transcendence of the limitations imposed by society through the claiming of power and freedom of expression. Girls face restrictive gender norms and taboos about the body and pleasure, which can prevent them from freely and safely exploring their own sexuality. In this sense, the expression "when I grow up" can also become a challenge, a call to confront the obstacles and prejudices that stand in their way, and to affirm them authentically.

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