„Are you afraid of the Cat Lady?“ appears as a live charcoal drawing performance combined with augmented reality. Through scanning AR codes, a shifting relationship between surface and body emerges. An X-ray-like image reveals the artist’s spine transforming into a cat’s tail, while disembodied cat’s eyes observe the scene in augmented reality, subtly destabilizing the direction of the gaze.
“Cat Lady” has long been a misogynistic stereotype referring to the supposedly lonely and eccentric woman living with cats. In the United States, politicians such as J.D. Vance have revived the term as a derogatory label for childless women. Feminists, however, have reclaimed the expression and transformed it into a symbol of self-determination and independence. The question is directed not only at conservative fears of female independence, but also at women who reject being associated with this figure, as it still carries stigma and remains something of a taboo.
“Are you afraid of the Cat Lady?” will be shown:
• July 3-5, 2026: FAQ – female and others, as part of the festival 48 Stunden Neukölln, at the Polymedialer Ponyhof, Berlin.
