The Evil Eye

This work explores the entanglement of protection, shame, and gendered embodiment through the symbolism of the evil eye. Drawing from folkloric beliefs around bodily exposure and vulnerability, the work stages the nipple as a contested site; adorned and obscured by the Turkish evil eye traditionally used to ward off harm. The image of the intact eye contrasts with its shattered counterpart, disrupting the illusion of protection and revealing a deeper fragility. Through this gesture, the piece reflects on the tension between visibility and censorship, cultural superstition and female autonomy.

Rooted in cultural rituals of warding off harm, the piece reflects on inherited fears surrounding the female body; its visibility, desirability, and danger. The gaze, both protective and invasive, becomes a site of tension. By reclaiming the evil eye as a symbol of agency rather than shame, The Evil Eye examines how bodies carry both the burden and the power of being seen.