Hidden in plain sight
Mixed media
2 Part: (2) 142,5 cm x 107 cm
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Hidden in Plain Sight is a two-part mixed-media artwork that uses the familiar format of a word search puzzle and is paired with a Braille version to expose the normalisation of sexist language in everyday speech, particularly among youth. Words that shame women for behaviours often praised in men are embedded within the puzzle, revealing how misogyny hides in plain sight, shaping perception and reinforcing inequality.
This work highlights the casual cruelty encoded in common expressions. These words don’t merely describe; they diminish. They reduce women to stereotypes: objects of ridicule, desire, control, shame, obedience or moral policing. They deny women their complexity, agency, and individuality.
The Braille version deepens this reflection, invoking themes of social blindness and silence; echoing the widespread failure to recognise the psychological and cultural harm inflicted by gendered language.
Scattered across both surfaces are fragmented fingerprints, deliberately incomplete, blurred, or fading. These prints symbolise the haunting presence of women erased from full participation in society. They reflect silenced identities, overlooked histories, and the barriers that continue to restrict visibility, autonomy, and recognition. The fingerprints are both personal and universal evidence of lives touched, shaped, and constrained by language.
Hidden in Plain Sight challenges the illusion that language is neutral. It reveals how casual words carry a lasting impact, sustaining inequality and shaping collective memory. This work urges viewers to speak with intention and raise a generation that values dignity over dominance. Let us educate our sons, so we may protect and empower our daughters.
Gallery
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