Under The Skin critiques patriarchal hegemony and the social constructs that subordinate women, juxtaposing them with the resilience, agency, and innate strength of females in society. Grounded in Citra Sasmita’s empirical observations during her residency in Yogyakarta, specifically the vibrant dynamics of traditional markets, which, despite being stereotyped as merely domestic spaces, actually serve as hubs of economic empowerment and mutual solidarity among women. The exhibition uncovers narratives of identity, stigma, and sexuality through the landscape of the female body.

Spanning paintings on canvas and leather, installations, and video work, Citra employs evocative symbolism: hair, flesh, and skin, to depict sacrifice, self-preservation, and female interconnectedness. Drawing parallels to resilient figures like Draupadi while directly confronting the internalized silence culture in works like Genealogy of Silence, Under The Skin transforms passive endurance into a bold visual manifesto advocating for female autonomy, dignity, and resistance.