Oops!…I Did It Again is a solo exhibition by Anna Mária Beňová, who reflects the constellation of relationships between women and men, experiencing love in its various manifestations. The author puts actresses in different positions and explores what else they can handle. She tries to achieve a level of perspective focused on the perception and experience of female protagonists, their position, in relation to male characters on canvases. Vivid colorfulness is combined with humor and irony.

The title of the exhibition comes from a song by Britney Spears that refers to a woman who perceives love as a game, and she decides to take advantage of it by playing with emotions of a boy who shows her affection. The song lyrics are an analogy to interpersonal relationships, more concretely to the way in which a woman articulates her fears and insecurities. We can perceive the vulnerability of a female protagonist as the need to define this attitude, first of all towards herself. And maybe it’s the humor: Oops, I did it again, a way of defining a certain position towards the boy that she’s fooling. If she thinks this way, questions arise, is it because of the fear of being hurt, or of the idea of the relationship itself, or because she is worried about losing her own authenticity, herself, as a woman?

Oops, you think I’m in love,
That I’m sent from above,
I’m not that innocent.

The author uses a narrative, which she twists and turns in a certain metaphorical way and dramatizes it so it creates discomfort for the viewer and confrontation with oneself. She ironizes relationships between a man and a woman, (un)fulfilled desires, frustrations and the participation of partners in setting the conditions for experiencing a relationship.

Curator of the exhibition :
Mgr. Katarína Jankechová

https://www.atelierxiii.com/exhibited-artists/portfolio/anna-maria-benova/