Twisted witch by Nika Timashkowa

This installation combining handtufted textile pieces and metal sculptures deals with the longstanding patriarchal structures and women’s struggle for equality. I take words that have been used against women and re-appropriate them in order to highlight how historical patriarchal notions are still shaping our language. Through the various textile slogans, I explore the different categories of women that have been marginalized and demonized throughout history. These categories reflect societal expectations and restrictions placed on women, yet they also demonstrate the complexity of women’s experiences in a world that seeks to define and control them. The title of the work D…Angerholds a dual significance. From a patriarchal perspective, women are often seen as a threat or a “danger” to societal norms. Yet, the title also emphasizes the importance of women’s anger. It is a rightful and powerful response to systemic injustice.

Nika Timashkova (b. 1989) is multimedia artist based in Basel with Ukrainian roots. She holds a BA in East European Cultures and French Literature and Linguistics from the University of Basel and an MA in Art Praxis from the Dutch Art Institute. Her work is informed by a life lived across multiple cultures, languages, and geographies, reflecting an ongoing negotiation of identity and belonging.

Timashkova’s practice emerges from the oscillation between polarities: post-Soviet memory and capitalist conditions, East and West, academic inquiry and artistic experimentation. This interplay shapes her investigations into memory, perception, and the political implications of cultural symbols. She is particularly interested in the spaces where language, identity, and history intersect, exploring how linguistic and visual frameworks construct and influence our understanding of reality.

This artwork was part of THE HOUSE WE CARRY exhibition in November 2025.