Iness Rychlik

Beauty and Decay

Being a woman means being a subject of harassment and unwanted attention on a regular basis. In my self-portraits, I use genuine antique garments or props to depict the parallels between my experiences and the inferior female position in Victorian Britain. Despite living in a modern society where education and professional development are widely accessible, I sometimes feel reduced to the role of a mere exhibit; a still doll. My conceptual work illustrates the painful frustration of being forced into a submissive and ornamental role. Fascinated by the idea of conveying sexuality and cruelty in a subtle evocative way, I aim to provoke the viewer’s imagination, rather than satisfy it.