Mary Hassanpour, The Dance of Silence
Mary Hassanpour
The Dance of Silence, 2025
Garn
100cm x 80cm x 6cm
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Duality of Being: A Feminist Perspective on Simplicity and Complexity
This artwork, crafted from yarn, embodies the dual nature of a woman's experience in challenging societies like Iran, viewed through a feminist lens.
The piece is designed with two contrasting sides: one side simple and calm, representing the external expectations placed on women—soft, composed, and gentle. On this side, the figures of the man and woman are stitched with smooth, neat, and orderly yarn, symbolizing the way society often demands a controlled, idealized presentation of individuals, especially women. Their forms here are perfect and static, representing how society simplifies and often suppresses the full complexity of a woman’s identity.
The other side of the artwork reveals a more chaotic design, with the figures of the man and woman depicted with hanging strands of yarn, representing the complexity and vulnerability of the body and identity. These dangling threads speak to the fragmented, layered, and often hidden aspects of their being. Here, the bodies appear incomplete, revealing the struggles, contradictions, and emotional complexity of living in a patriarchal society, where women’s authenticity is often concealed or distorted.
The figures of the man and woman in both sides of the artwork are connected through this contrasting representation. The man, on both sides,
is depicted in a more structured, orderly manner, signifying the societal freedom and clarity afforded to him. In contrast, the woman’s body—though
present in both sides—is more tangled and fragmented on the second side, reflecting the intricate layers of her identity, suppressed emotions, and the
societal expectations placed on her. However, both figures remain in motion, dancing together, symbolizing the continuous negotiation between
individuality, societal pressures, and personal expression.
Through this duality, the piece highlights the tension between simplicity and complexity, control, and freedom, as well as the gendered dynamics of
societal expectations. The yarn, a material often associated with femininity and domesticity serves as both a medium and a metaphor for these
struggles, showcasing the intricate layers of womanhood in a society that demands conformity.
Work | #2260 |
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Anfangsdatum | 02/07/2024 16:15 |
Enddatum | 16/02/2025 12:49 |
Total fällig | auf Anfrage |
Mary Hassanpour, The Dance of Silence