A "Feminine" Chair
Fables Exhibition, Swanfall Art, Mall Galleries, London, UK.
Year:
2025
What does "femininity" mean to you?
This installation stems from Maria Bravo's research project Living Systems at the Royal College of Art. The work explores design as a means of critique, social connection, and material storytelling.
Lace is often seen as delicate and ornamental, and it carries cultural associations with “femininity” shaped by society’s gender stereotypes. Beneath this idea, however, lies a story of labor, skill, and endurance. By applying the fabric to a non-gendered subject, Maria embodies the paradox of gender perception.
The installation reflects on how gendered associations are formed and critiques the role of design in their perpetuation.
The piece was exhibited in 2025 at the annual Swanfall Art exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London, where it received the Audiences' Choice Award.
