Returning to the habit of talking about my artwork, today it's time to talk about Jam Jars. You can see this artwork by clicking here (you'll see it on my Instagram profile).
I'm Nycka Nunes, a visual artist, and in this blog I talk about my artistic work, inspirations, projects, and related topics.
I don't like to fit in. This artwork is based on my vision of people who diminish themselves to fit into stereotypes, such as the stereotype of needing long hair to be feminine, or needing to dress or behave in a certain way to fit into certain social groups. This need to fit in makes me see such people as jars of jam in a supermarket, who need labels to describe themselves.
My goal is to provoke reflection, to make those who see the art think about how much of their truths and values are really theirs. How many different references did they seek? How much did they question such beliefs and stereotypes? Just as personal style has no labels, it is very limiting to try to be guided by stereotypes to fit in. And at the same time, I believe that it is necessary to have a balance, where our individuality does not violate the rights of others.
The binary thinking in relation to things, in seeing everything as right or wrong, as if life were a multiple choice test where each question only allows one right answer and all the others are wrong, is a limiting view.
Yesterday I saw a question on a social network where someone asked if a man who likes to wear women's clothes is gay. Could it be that the person limits himself so much that he is afraid to admit that he likes something because it would be a sign that his sexual orientation is different from what he believed? What if he really liked other things that the stereotypical straight man “shouldn't” like? What's the problem? Does he see himself as inferior if that happens?
For a long time I managed a Facebook page (and previously an Orkut community) dedicated to women with short hair. Several said they were dying to have short hair, but were afraid their boyfriend or husband wouldn't like it or that they wouldn't look feminine. 🙄 On the other hand, trans women generally seek the stereotypical image of being feminine, with long hair, among other stereotypes.
Imagine that one day I visit your house, and you ask me my favorite dessert, so you can serve me something that pleases me. I say I love Black Forest pie. You serve Black Forest pie when I visit. Over time, we become friends. And every time I go to your house, the dessert is always the same Black Forest pie. At some point, I'll get tired of it, because I also like other things and eating the same thing every day gets boring.
And I'm not just talking about desserts and visitors. The reasoning is similar for many other situations. Serving Black Forest pie for dessert is also not the only way to make me feel welcomed and loved. There are other ways. Because I know who I am, and understand the complexity of my personality, I can understand where these limitations arise. After all, I had to fight against many of them to be who I am today. And by understanding this complexity, I can understand that life is not a multiple-choice test with only one correct answer for each question. How deeply do you know yourself? How many of your beliefs and values have you tried to question, seek alternatives, meet people with different experiences in relation to that topic, with the willingness to listen without judging?
If you liked this reflection, purchase the artwork "Jam Jars" by clicking here.
Nycka Nunes
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