In this video performance, the artist directly faces the camera as if sitting in front of a mirror. By applying ink to her own face, in the manner of applying cosmetics, she confronts the conventions of feminine beauty with a stark, almost ritualistic precision. We see Iveković methodically draw black arrows across her face and neck, mapping the paths along which a massage or the application of makeup is traditionally performed. The drawn lines, meant to guide beautification according to brand instructions, are paradoxically disrupted as she massages them into her skin, leaving behind smeared, grimy traces that distort and deface the intended forms. This transformation, from orderly diagram to chaotic residue, undermines the conventional promise of cosmetic rituals and exposes their fragility.

The work evokes a sense of war paint rather than the soft, polished finish of makeup, transforming the act of self-care into a symbolic battlefield. Each arrow, each line, suggests the prescriptive nature of beauty standards, as if women are instructed how to modify their features to conform to societal expectations. By turning this intimate, everyday procedure into a deliberate, almost ceremonial performance, the artist critiques the pervasive control embedded in media-driven ideals of appearance.

There is also a temporal dimension: the slow, deliberate gestures convert a seemingly mundane act into a meditation on representation, discipline, and the passage of time. Lines on her forehead, cheeks, and chin recall cosmetic diagrams, instructional guides, and even surgical markings, highlighting the ways in which women’s bodies are routinely subjected to external judgment and manipulation. The result is a provocative reflection on beauty, conformity, and the violence of cultural prescriptions.