This artwork tells of the silent solitude of female existence, attuned to the rhythm of one's own body. It depicts the recurring phase of the hormonal winter, those weeks when strength, mood, and zest for life decline, while pain increases. It is the story of a monthly struggle for understanding that, despite years of patient educational efforts, begins anew time and again.
At its core lies the painful paradox: having to explain, month after month, that the body is currently performing heavy work, that hormones put it into a state of deep exhaustion and heightened vulnerability, that physical pain is real, and emotional "mood swings" are not whims but biological reality. And yet, understanding remains elusive. Partners forget. Conversations repeat. In the light, energetic summer of ovulation, hope is rekindled, only to be left alone again with incomprehension in winter.
The work illustrates the deep suffering of not being seen. No room for rest. No room for weakness. No room for the world-weariness that feels so overwhelmingly real during these days, because it is. No room for the cramps that send some women to the hospital, for the exhaustion, for the tears that flow for no apparent reason. Instead, the woman is expected to continue functioning, as if her body were not currently busy preparing for a potential new life.
And therein lies the true strength that this artwork simultaneously celebrates and indicts: Despite halved energy, despite physical and emotional strain, these women continue to perform. They get up, go to work, care for children, maintain relationships, hold households together, give affection and care. They make themselves presentable so that no one says they look "worn out." They give more, even though they have less.
The image invites us to finally look closely.
It demands: Sit down. Listen. Learn. And truly walk a mile in my shoes.
It is a silent, urgent call for empathy and recognition, for respect for a cycle that carries not only suffering but also the deepest creative power of the female body.
