2024 Finalists

The artwork depicts a zoomed-in view of the pubic hair of an adult woman, with various plastic hair clips on it: a yellow spiral, an orange bird, one pink, one violet,
and one pale yellow flower, a bright yellow teddy bear head, an orange butterfly, a red heart, and one Pokémon clip.

The composition of the “Well-groomed Woman” can be divided into two layers. The base layer consists of the pubic hair of an adult woman—thick, coarse, dark, with some grey hairs already appearing— the natural product of ageing. The second layer of the composition consists of a collection of randomly placed hair clips. In contrast, these are entirely artificial—plastic, shiny, brightly coloured, and childish—as if a little girl had placed them there, playfully designing a new hairstyle for fun.

And yet, they meet—a seemingly unlikely pair. A grown woman, unsure of how to handle her ever-changing body, and a playful child, eager to grow up but unaware of the reality and complexities this process entails. Yet, they meet in every woman I know, including myself, as if we were never meant to grow up but somehow did. Our bodies undergo endless transitions, our roles adapt to new scenarios, while our minds never fully move beyond that state of childish dreaminess and naïveté.

(20/33)