Artwork of the month:
Martina Rötlingová — Troubling Areas I. a II.

Two drawings from the “Troubling Areas Series” Troubling Areas I and II contribute to the broad theme of the female body and its physicality. The realistic drawings of exposed female parts depict a woman’s behind and part of the shank (abdomen) with its natural “imperfections”, such as hints of stretch marks or a possible hint of cellulite. The colouring of the background is in a very specific shade somewhere between the colours “very-peri and lilac mazur”. Rötlingová drew those parts of the body that are most often under fire of both criticism and adoration of society. She drew “that butt” and “that belly”, parts that are part of every human/female body. The drawings try to capture the actual reality – through the so called candy aesthetic. In them we feel a sense of shyness and shame on the one hand, and a sense of uniqueness and natural beauty on the other. Through her own experience, the author often portrays the status of woman (women) and their perception in today’s narcissistic/critical world. She responds to the contemporary aesthetic ideal of beauty in today’s society – she evaluates its perception and shaping through advertising, media and social networks. Her work develops the issues of female (self)value, (self)love, (self)control and (self)destruction. The women portrayed by Martina Rötlingová are heroines in various life struggles (despairs), which are reshaped by the demands and expectations of society. The entire form of both drawings is dotted with tiny, almost invisible glitter (an imaginary glitter filter). The way she has conceived the “disturbing body parts” is almost illusory.

At this point it is important to mention that contemporary mainstream media society is increasingly sexualizing women so that they are perceived primarily as sexual objects – thus suppressing their personhood – through various images of rapid impersonal (re)saturation, which is a consequence of a consumer-oriented society. At the same time, we are co-creators of a world generating different realities, many of which may be based on deception and exaggerated expectations. This causes anxieties and feelings of insecurity about the world and about oneself. Increasingly, as individuals, we are disconnecting from ourselves, from our essence, to simply connect to the network and have incredible opportunities to be someone else, to gain a new identity with a new reality. In this space we dream and often conspire about ourselves. 

This message is also evident in other works by the young author. Going beyond the surface, through a candy-sweet, non-conflicted aesthetic, the worlds of women with a shattered self, yearning to (re)discover themselves, are gradually revealed. In an infinite number of communication channels and possibilities, there is a psychological unanchoring, instability, and in extreme cases, an addiction or desire to “cling” to someone/something. Whereby a man/woman places his/her value in the hands of others and believes that his/her (self-)value will be fulfilled by other people. The shades of pink and purple sadly mirror one’s own emptiness, but also the denial of oneself and one’s life story or one’s past, present or future. They also mirror the feeling of the insecurity of (one’s) existence, so false existences, false “selves” on the nets arise as a defense to this feeling. From a sense of insecurity and emptiness, the world thus offers many fabricated “selves”. Sometimes they are modified by an Instagram filter or other application that transforms the user into someone else. Is there a desire for recognition and love from others behind this? Is it fear of not being accepted by oneself? Or a possible fear of rejection, emptiness and anxiety masked by filters…?