The objectification of the female body is ubiquitous in Czech society, yet often overlooked. We can see it everywhere, from advertising to everyday life at work or school. There is a naked woman in an advert for car wipers and at school girls are not allowed to wear t-shirts with exposed shoulders or are reprimanded for wearing skirts that are too short. This phenomenon is based on the idea that women exist for men's pleasure and as objects of their desire.

The process by which sexual objectification psychologically damages women was first described by psychologists Barbara Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Roberts in the mid 1990. According to this theory, when a woman is treated as an object, she momentarily views her body from the perspective of the person objectifying her. Subsequently, they become preoccupied with their physical appearance and sexual value to others. This process of "self-objectification" leads to uncomfortable feelings such as shame and anxiety in women. If repeated, it can eventually lead to long-term psychological damage.

Research has found that both men and women perceive sexualized women as lacking certain human qualities such as mental capacity and moral status. Women who are objectified are viewed as less than fully human, leading to their dehumanization. This denial of mental capacity and moral status has also been found to have negative effects on objectified women, including an increasing willingness of men to commit sexually aggressive acts against them. The results also highlighted the fine line between positive and negative perceptions that women must constantly weigh and balance in their daily appearance choices.

The paradox of art is that women have been portrayed as objects in it since the beginning of time, but they are far less commonly regarded as significant artists. As the activist group of women artists Guerrilla Girls has been pointing out for years, only 5% of the artists in the modern art section are women, but 90% of the nudity depicted is female. However our concept is quite different. It is through art we want to draw attention to the presence of the problem of objectification of women. Each of the exhibiting artists view the issue differently and depict it in their own way, which makes the exhibition an exceptional phenomenon that highlights the objectification of women. Art is a medium that can bring issues to people's awareness in a completely non-violent way. It can stir a difficult and important discussion. This exhibition will offer a diverse and unconventional representation of the subject from the perspective of several artists in the form of painting, drawing, photography and graphic art. All content will be related to the theme of objectification of women. The works will be displayed on the walls of the gallery space and will be accompanied by short commentaries.

for more about the exhibition see our website : www.zenaobjektem.com