Women need more sleep because fighting the patriarchy is exhausting

Its title alone is intriguing enough to encourage the public to check out what this exhibition is about. Women Need More Sleep Because Fighting the Patriarchy is Exhausting is what the new showcase at Common Room, Prozak is called and it features the work, experiences and thoughts of four local women.

Running at Prozak’s new events space (right next door to the café) until January 31, Alexia Nisiforou, Ermina Demetriou, Maria Loizou and Niki Lialiara describe their experiences of what it means to be a woman in Cyprus today.

“In a patriarchal society,” writes the exhibition text, “in which women exist only to be seen, what does it mean to be a woman? In a world where a woman exists as a complement to (her) man, what does it mean to live as a woman? What does it mean to live alone either by choice or by chance? What does it mean to have a different sexual orientation or appearance that defies mainstream norms? How free are you? What does it mean to live in fear of harassment? How much power does the male gaze carry? How does a woman feel just for being a woman? From the 11 to the 31 of January, maybe some of the above will be answered in the Common Room exhibition space next to Prozak Cafe.”

The visual arts exhibition will host a series of parallel events that invite women and men, occasionally only women, to discuss, reflect and share their views and experiences. Saturday is the first parallel activity and it is an open discussion at 7pm between four women from different professional backgrounds. The 12 Feats of a Working Women talk will address the challenges and obstacles these women face, moderated by Katerina Gennari.

Another open discussion will take place on January 18 at 7pm between three women from three different generations on how they perceive the patriarchy, how it affects them and how they deal with it in their daily lives. A film screening will be the exhibition’s next parallel event presenting Tonia Mishiali’s Pause on January 21 at 7pm, followed by a discussion with the director.

The Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby event on Sunday 22 will be an 18+ and a women-only happening. Led by educational psychologist Kalia Loizidou, women are invited to attend a safe circle and share experiences, worries and desires on sex, relationships and flirting.

January 25’s parallel event shines the light on domestic violence in Cyprus, how common it is, what it means and how we can deal with it through a discussion with Dr Eleni Athanasiou, Social Work lecturer at the European University and sociologist Maria Angeli. The final event of the exhibition series is an Open Mic Night on January 28 called Spit it Out, inviting the public to take the mic and share whatever they want, closing off almost three weeks of happenings.

Women Need More Sleep Because Fighting the Patriarchy is Exhausting

Group exhibition by 4 women on what it means to be a woman in Cyprus today with many parallel events. January 11-31. Common Room, Prozak, Nicosia. Opening event: 6pm-10pm. Facebook page: @womenneedmoresleep