Eglė Rakauskaite, Trap. Expulsion from Paradise, 1996
Eglė Rakauskaitė
Trap. Expulsion from Paradise

Eglė Rakauskaitė (*1967, Lithuania) is one of the leading artists in Lithuania. She trained as a painter but later turned to objects made of organic materials, like honey, hair and chocolate. She then began exploring (documentary) video and performance. She represented Lithuania at the 48th Venice Biennale (1999) and has taken part in numerous important international exhibitions.

Twelve young women are standing in a circle with their backs to each other, wearing long white dresses. Their primly parted hair is woven into long braids, binding them together in a tight net. After standing still for several minutes, they cut themselves loose and leave the stage. The representational patterns of women as obedient and innocent, which are bound to patriarchal culture’s image construction and women’s false desire for their own estrangement, are dissolved through the personal act of cutting. Trap. Expulsion from Paradise was a success at numerous locations, such as Gender Check. Femininity and Masculinity in Eastern European Art at the MUMOK in Vienna (2009-2010).

Courtesy Eglė Rakauskaitė

Document media
Video, colour, silent, 4:00 min

Issue date
1996

Tags
dance/choreography, extended body, patriarchy, resistance