preserve x 186
Preserve x 186, 2017, plaster, burlap, silicone, plaster bandages, clay, concrete, various measurements. Photo: Kateryna Snizhko
Every day I stumble upon close-up images of "perfect" female body parts—perky, smooth, sculpted objects. Each fragment looks as if it were cast in a silky-smooth mold. These floating body parts exist without context or gravity.
Mainstream media often presents an overly sexualized and decontextualized image of femininity—reducing it to a visual commodity. Stripping it of substance and assigning it a purely aesthetic function reinforces a one-sided, unequal, and distorted construct that leaves no room for growth or nuance. Within this framework, women are placed in constant comparison—between the imposed ideal of femininity and their actual, complex selves.
Preserve x 186 is a performative sculpture series that responds to the control and objectification of women in public spaces. The work was carried out through long-duration molding sessions of the artist’s body in public view. By materializing the pain of staying frozen in one position, Yedidia reflects on the relentless objectification of women—and the persistent expectation that they remain silent.
Preserve x 186, 2017, plaster, burlap, silicone, plaster bandages, clay, concrete, various measurements. Photography: Kateryna Snizhko