Women are being questioned about their predominant role: care. The act of caring not only sustains life, but also weaves the vital fabric of society, sustaining our very existence. This act runs through women's lives in such a way that it becomes a daily, never-ending choreography.
In socio-economic terms, even the privileged classes delegate child-rearing to female hands. In that sense, from the intimate to the public sphere, care becomes a collective maternal dance that takes on political, class and social responsibility overtones. However, it becomes entangled in the narrative that confines women solely to domestic tasks.
Paradoxically, care while sustaining society lacks tangible value. Originally in the private sphere, the paradigm of care has evolved into public exposure, but remains devoid of social or cultural retribution, even if future citizens are cared for or nurtured.
Its precariousness and devaluation are largely due to its connection with the feminine, a barrier in this androcentric society that limits male participation. And by stereotyping gender roles, it unequally categorises and values the "work" of men and women.
There is an urgent need for a reinterpretation that dismantles its exclusive link with the feminine, challenging the norm that assigns women the sole role of custodian and heir to the care market. From the arts, breaking these chains demands a cultural curatorship, a visual language, a visual catalyst in everyday life.
The installation Where there is no care, there is no life unfolds a visual narrative that challenges entrenched gender norms. These sculptures are based on the form of objects traditionally associated with the feminine, which are interwoven into a single colourful fibre that alludes to the maternal, like a protective fabric. This visual challenge, born from the questioning of women's role in care to socio-economic complexities, proposes a bold reinterpretation.
Beyond breaking chains, the installation proposes a visual language that reimagines the links with the feminine, inviting both genders to participate in the practices of care. This proposal is not only a call to action, but a catalyst for new perceptions and equal collaboration. Challenging the norm that confines women to specific roles, the installation stands as a horizon of possibilities, where the shared responsibility of both genders in care contributes to weaving the vital fabric of life and society.
———————————————
*Excerpt from Care, vital fabric of society, text by Hijadelacoca. Analysis based on the National Plenary "Economy of Care" in Bartolina Sisa Hall, carried out in the National Feminism Meeting for the good living: For Justice, dignity and autonomy against dictatorship, Lima - 2023. Text Revision: Rocío Fuentes