Dambal (2016)

Installation: Sound, women’s underwear (dambal), 24 objects

This project explores gender equality as an ongoing process of cultural and symbolic inclusion. In a context where equality is increasingly defined through representation, rights, and social achievements, the work shifts focus from formal declarations to the subtle mechanisms of visibility and exclusion that operate within culture itself.

At the heart of the installation is the dambal: a traditional Eastern woman’s undergarment (pantaloons), an everyday and intimate object connected to the body and private space, yet largely “invisible” and “insignificant” within the cultural field.

By moving the dambal from private and commercial contexts into the museum, the work transforms this domestic object into a symbol of visibility and recognition. The project invites viewers to reconsider cultural exclusions and to approach equality as the recognition of what is often overlooked—a continuous process rather than a final achievement.

Who knows — perhaps right here, between the folds of the dambal, lies the hidden power of women’s freedom… or a tiny spark of joy ready to be discovered!