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Five oversized sculptures, reminiscent of table football figures, form the subject of this work. Contrary to popular expectations, these figures make a difference: they represent female rather than male players. Here, they are appropriated with the aim of problematizing the perpetually unresolved issue of gender inequality in Montenegro, which continues to shape society today. The work comments on traditional viewpoints and attitudes, carved by centuries-long matrices of common thought, behavior, and social relations, predominantly formed by the omnipresent – and “oversized” – rule of patriarchy.

For this reason, the jerseys worn by the female players in this work serve to strip bare, again and again, popular yet powerful stereotypes that confine women to prescribed social roles and positions, objectifying them and depriving them of any opportunity to contest or invert the given conditions in their favor. To expose the iconographic complexity of these conditions, which converge towards the same point of perspective regardless of outward appearance, the work presents five models as five conventions, distinguished only superficially but essentially identical.

The two teams play against each other: one is the Contemporary Team, the other the Conservative Team.

Contemporary Team consists of three players: The first is a cute, chaste young pregnant woman, ready to reproduce wherever necessary and whenever her partner desires. Her jersey is a tight-fitting dress emphasizing her pregnant belly. The second resembles a silicone-inflated doll, reduced to a mere object of male sexual desire. Her jersey is barely noticeable, making her appear almost undressed – ready to use. The third is a working woman, obsessed with her career, dressed in a strictly female business suit. Conservative Team consists of two players: The first embodies a traditional woman, understood as a good wife and mother, caring for her household and family. Her jersey consists of a long skirt, while her head is veiled by an indispensable scarf, an unmistakable sign of her humility – and her submissiveness. The second appears completely male. She is, in fact, a “virginia-tobelia” – another cruel construct of patriarchy. Her jersey conceals feminine attributes and consists of a wide men’s shirt and trousers.

Regardless of what they aim to express through their typical outfits, they overlook – or ignore – one simple element: the game they participate in has never been fair, which creates an absurd situation full of conflicts among themselves. They play a male game, according to male rules, and against each other. There is no visual or material reference to HIS presence during the game, yet HE is the only one who scores points, over and over again.

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