When you see my fake lashes,
do you imagine my shaved p****?
Ko vidiš moje umetne trepalnice, si predstavljaš mojo pobrito P****?
The art project “When you see my fake lashes, Do you imagine my shaved P***” addresses the role of body hair as a means of control over the body. Through various media, the artist explores how beauty ideals, dictated by the patriarchal system and the capitalist industry, shape the female* body and the rituals associated with it. The exhibition focuses on the hairless ideal and on rituals of both hair removal and hair addition. Unwanted hair is systematically removed, while at the same time it is artificially added in places where it is expected to enhance femininity. This paradox, underpinning every beauty ideal of femme bodies in patriarchal society, exposes the unattainability of beauty standards and their role in maintaining gender hierarchies, binaries, and patriarchal control over bodies.
The works in the exhibition challenge expectations of what constitutes an “appropriate” female body, using humor to highlight the violence embedded in seemingly benign beauty practices.
By using hair as a symbolic material, the artist reclaims control over the body in the context of the male gaze and the interests of capital.
*Female = FLINTA
Umetniški projekt »Ko vidiš moje umetne trepalnice, si predstavljaš mojo pobrito P***« obravnava vlogo telesnih dlak kot sredstvo za nadzor nad telesom. Umetnica preko različnih medijev raziskuje, kako ideali lepote, ki jih narekujejo patriarhalni sistem in kapitalistična industrija, oblikujejo žensko telo in z njim povezane rituale. Razstava se osredotoča na brezdlačni ideal in na rituale odstranjevanja in dodajanja dlak. Neželene dlake sistematično odstranjujejo, hkrati pa jih umetno dodajajo na mestih, kjer naj bi poudarile ženskost. Ta paradoks, ki je nujen za obstoj lepotnih idealov v patriarhalni družbi, razkriva nedosegljivost standardov lepote in njihovo vlogo pri ohranjanju hierarhij spolov, binarnosti in patriarhalnega nadzora nad telesi.
Dela na razstavi izzivajo pričakovanja o tem, kaj predstavlja »primerno« žensko telo, in s humorjem poudarjajo nasilje, vgrajeno v navidezno neškodljive lepotne prakse.
Z uporabo las kot simboličnega materiala umetnica ponovno prevzame nadzor nad telesom v kontekstu moškega pogleda in interesov kapitala.
*Ženska = FLINTA
FROM PUBIC TO PUBLIC
IZ SRAMNOSTI V JAVNOST
Public hair / plastic string / glue / video projection
Sramne dlake / laks / lepilo / video projekcija
By crafting artificial eyelashes from pubic hair, a substance typically required for removal, the work plays with the arbitrary gender expectations that dictates what a person should hide and what she should emphasize.
The accompanying video portrait serves as both documentation and central action. Wearing the eyelashes, the artist returns the viewer’s gaze, amplifying the grotesque nature of beauty rituals.
Z izdelavo umetnih trepalnic iz sramnih dlak, materiala, ki ga običajno odstranjujemo, se delo igra z arbitrarnimi pričakovanji glede spola, ki narekujejo, kaj naj oseba skriva in kaj naj poudarja.
Spremljajoči video portret služi kot dokumentacija in osrednje dejanje. Umetnica, ki nosi trepalnice, vrača pogled gledalcu in s tem poudarja groteskno naravo lepotnih ritualov.
Instalation in Cirkulacija2 / Artist’s personal archive / 2025
Instalacija v galeriji Cirkulacija 2 / Arhiv umetnice / 2025
RETURN TO THE PUBLIC
VRNITEV V JAVNOST
Intervention in public space / hair / glue / video & photo documentation
Intervencija v javnem prostoru / lasje / lepilo / video & photo dokumentacija
Praesent pellentesque ipsum non commodo congue. Nam et metus malesuada leoLorem Ipsum...
This ongoing artistic intervention confronts public advertising by reintroducing an erased physical truth of female bodies. The artist glues real human hair onto billboard images of female bodies—specifically in areas typically mandated for hair removal: the armpits, legs, bikini line and face. The work directly challenges passersby with the reality of the female body, reclaiming public space for what commercial beauty ideals systematically remove. It is both a protest and a reclamation, returning what the beauty industry takes away.
Intervencija v javnem prostoru se sooča z javnim oglaševanjem, tako da vrača izbrisano fizično resnico ženskih teles. Umetnica na plakate z ženskimi telesi nalepi prave človeške lase, in sicer na mesta, kjer se običajno odstranjujejo dlake: pod pazduhe, na noge, v bikini liniji in na obraz. Delo neposredno izziva mimoidoče z realnostjo ženskega telesa in si ponovno prisvaja javni prostor za tisto, kar komercialni ideali lepote sistematično odstranjujejo. Je hkrati protest in ponovna pridobitev, vrnitev tistega, kar je lepotna industrija odvzela.
The project began with an analysis of the urban advertising landscape, noting the seasonal prominence of bodies, in summer in swimwear and in winter in festive lingerie. After initial use of the artist’s own hair, the scale of the billboards necessitated sourcing disposed hair from a local salon. The interventions were mostly unnoticed by the public, with occasional positive engagement from observers.
Projekt se je začel z analizo mestnega oglaševalskega prostora, pri čemer so razgaljena telesa prevladovala sezonsko, poleti v kopalkah in pozimi v prazničnem spodnjem perilu. Na začetku umetnica uporablja lastne lase, ampak je bila velikost oglasnih panojev prevelika, zato se je povezala z lokalnim frizerskim salonom. Lepjenje je večinoma potekalo neopaženo, občasno pa so opazovalci pokazali pozitivno zanimanje.
REMOVE ADD REMOVE ADD REMOVE
ODSTRANI DODAJ ODSTRANI DODAJ ODSTRANI
video diptih & projection mapping on textile / video diptih & mapiranje projekcije na tkanino
This work is a video diptych, projected on two large white sheets. One video shows the raw process of removing female pubic hair. The other shows the long process of putting on fake eyelashes. Both are presented with an observational clarity that emphasises their physicality and duration. The white sheets resemble intimate exposure and sterile procedure.
This juxtapositions two distant parts of the
body — one culturally coded as private and to be removed from, the other as public and to be added to.
Both become sites of labor and commercial transaction, where the body's natural state is constantly edited. An essential, protective function (hair) is removed as unwanted, while a synthetic enhancement is applied to signal desirability. The cycle of removal and addition is presented as an endless, demanding cycle.
Sound in the video is a female voice that describes the steps for "proper" hair removal. Her words are stating that "if even one hair is left, it is not done right." The voice is supported with a meditative drone soundtrack. The mix of both sounds reflects one contradiction: these demanding, sometimes painful rituals are often sold and experienced as self-care—a nurturing act for personal well-being and hygiene.
The sound fills up the exhibition space, underlining the work's critique of a beauty industry that scripts our bodies into a state of endless, profitable correction.
Delo je video diptih, projiciran na dve veliki beli tkanini. En video prikazuje proces odstranjevanja ženskih sramnih dlak. Drugi prikazuje dolgotrajen proces nameščanja umetnih trepalnic. Oba videa prikazujeta fizičnost in trajanje procesov. Beli tkanini simbolizirata intimno razgaljenost in sterilni postopek.
Instalacija postavlja nasproti dva oddaljena dela telesa
– enega, ki je kulturno dojeman kot zaseben in ga je treba odstraniti, drugega pa kot javnega in ga je treba ohranjati in umetno dodajati.
Cikel odstranjevanja in dodajanja je predstavljen kot neskončen, zahteven cikel. Oba dela telesa postaneta območje dela in komercialnih transakcij, za katere se mora naravno stanje telesa nenehno spreminjati. Zaščitna funkcija (dlake) se odstrani ker so neželene, medtem ko se sintetične trepalnice dodaja, z namenom signalizacije zaželenosti.
Zvok v videu je ženski glas, ki opisuje korake za »pravilno« odstranjevanje dlak. Pravi da »če ostane tudi samo ena dlaka, depilacija ni pravilna«. Glas spremlja meditativna drone glasba. Mešanica obeh zvokov odraža protislovje: Zahtevni, včasih boleči rituali se pogosto prodajajo in razumejo kot osebna nega za dobro počutje in higieno.
Zvok napolni cel razstavni prostor in poudari kritično pozicijo dela do lepotne industrije, ki naša telesa potiska v stanje neskončnih, dobičkonosnih popravkov.
Version of the video for online showcase / Verzija videa za spletni prikaz
BEAUTY SHOTS
Digital photography / projection mapping / Digitalna fotografija / mapiranje projekcije
Praesent pellentesque ipsum non commodo congue. Nam et metus malesuada leo aliquet facilisis in in enim.
In the visual language of commercial and fashion photography, a "beauty shot" is a close-up, flawless frame. It focuses on attractive features from the chest up, highlighting skin, makeup, hair, or jewelry to present an idealized standard.
My work began with an analysis of such advertising imagery.
As a reflection, I created a series of portraits where I play with the absence and presence of body hair. This is a personal reflection on identity, tracing my own socialization into the female gender and the persistent narrative that equates femininity with removal.
Within the photographs, I employ archetypal feminine postures, clothing like a wedding dress, and the colors of light and background, to construct familiar commercial beauty images.
This series is a direct reference and tribute to the work of Cindy Sherman, who used self-portraiture to deconstruct the roles and images imposed upon women.
Beauty shot v komercialni in modni fotografiji pomeni bližinski, visokokakovosten posnetek, ki poudarja privlačne lastnosti osebe, običajno od prsi navzgor, in izpostavlja ličila, lase, kožo ali nakit.
Moje delo se je začelo z analizo tega oglaševalskega pojava. Tako sem ustvarila serijo portretov, kjer se igram z odsotnostjo in prisotnostjo telesnih dlak. To je osebna refleksija o identiteti, socializaciji v ženski spol in vztrajni narativi, ki ženskost enači z odstranjevanjem.
Na fotografijah poskušam uprizarjati feminilne arhetipe z načinom poziranja, oblačili, kot je naprimer poročna obleka, in barvami svetlobe in ozadja, da bi se približala estetiki komercjalnih lepotnih podob.
Ta serija je neposredna referenca in poklon delu Cindy Sherman, ki je s samoportretiranjem dekonstruirala spolne vloge in podobe..
CREDITS / KOLOFON
Concept / realisation / production / Koncept / realizacija / produkcija: Urša Rahne
Video documentation of interventions in public space / Video dokumentacija intervencij v javnem prostoru: Petra Kraševec, Gaja Pegan Nahtigal, Veshta Ishtar
Special mentions / posebne omembe: Kela, Scissoring Hair, Asiana Jurca Avci, Teja Miholič,
Jurij Podgoršek, Tatiana Kocmur, Tana Benčan, Sasho Puckovski & Cirkulacija2
Menthors / Mentorja (ALUO): Sašo Sedlaček & Jela Krečič Žižek
Concept / realisation / production / Koncept / realizacija / produkcija: Urša Rahne
Video documentation of interventions in public space / Video dokumentacija intervencij v javnem prostoru: Petra Kraševec, Gaja Pegan Nahtigal, Veshta Ishtar
Special mentions / posebne omembe: Kela, Scissoring Hair, Asiana Jurca Avci, Teja Miholič,
Jurij Podgoršek, Tatiana Kocmur, Tana Benčan, Sasho Puckovski & Cirkulacija2
Menthors / Mentorja (ALUO): Sašo Sedlaček & Jela Krečič Žižek