Silk Worm

Silk Worm – A collaborative work by Alexia Cocolas and Stefanie Langenhoven.

“Silk Worm deals with the distortion and suppression of the female identity; how disfigured concepts of what it means to be a woman are projected onto women by both sexes. And, how we (as females) embody this twisted conditioning, model it for each other as well as fight within our own bodies to find an understanding, an authenticity and a freedom in what it means to feel and be a woman.

The title “Silk Worm” represents the work through different stages of transformation. The word “Silk” stands apart from the word “Worm”, to emphasise the dichotomy we find within ourselves.

Being feminine can be associated with a silk like quality “having qualities or an appearance traditionally associated with women, especially delicacy and prettiness” is one of the many similar definitions of “feminine” that we stumbled upon during this process.

Women give birth to life, a wonderful and mysterious concept, but female bodies and the darkness or the unknown of the creative unconscious (the unconscious being associated with the feminine) are seen as unclean and fearful, and so we too resonate with “the worm”. Apart from being an invertebrate animal, worm is defined too as “a weak or despicable person (often used as a general term of abuse)”. A concept that women (and men) have been taught to internalise when it comes to feeling into the parts that make up our feminine attributes through years of patriarchal training.”

Works for the “Undefined” exhibition has been selected from this body of work, 2016 -2017

For Alexia’s work please visit: www.alexiacocolas.com

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  In the I of the cocoon, 2015. Self Portrait with Alexia
   
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  Acquiescence, 2016. Self Portrait
   
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  You have to be pure, 2015 - 2016. Self portrait; Alexia
   
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  Looking Glass, 2016. Self Portrait with Alexia
   
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  Worms in a box I: Flesh and blood, 2016.Self portrait; Alexia
   
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  Worms in a box II: still remains, 2016.
   
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  Exhibition