The project named “WO-MAN” by Hristina Zafirovska, offers a personal criticism of the growing vulgar exploitation of the woman in the marketing industry. The revolt of the author comes from the media images of the projected quasi-function of the woman in society, which perform continuous info-torture and consciously impose norms on appearance and behavior. Despite all declaratively acquired legal rights that make women and men equal, there is growing manipulative distortion of the images of the accomplishments of civilization, the values and characteristics that set a positive example of the sex/gender equality and, unfortunately, in modern advertising campaigns (based on bodily image); almost without exception, the function of the woman is defined as a synonym of reproduction and sexuality.
Challenged by these stereotypical impositions, Hristina Zafirovska offers a reaction of the gender code determinations and exploitations which are becoming aggressively and continuously present in all media, imposing positions that are becoming desired. Part of this reaction is the ironic and funny visually-textual replacement of the female-male characteristics, where the normed colors – symbol of masculinity and femininity are replaced, along with the feelings “typical” for certain gender.
By combining various means of expression - objects and paintings with pop-art colorful performances, textual word play, tabular board solutions, as well as illustrative images, the author on several levels reinterprets and criticizes the mechanisms of the images of gender in commercials, media, economy, art… The criticism of the author is particularly focused on the consumer culture, the use of symbols, value and meaning in every area of consumer society, as well as on the disturbing relationship of the mass and uncontrolled supply and demand in which the woman is treated solely as an object.
