NONCHALANT 2 / FIREPLACE
2010
Video
The video represents the classic “lovers in front of a fireplace” scene in which a man and a woman lie relaxed in front of a blazing fire. A young man lies on his side on a blanket reading a magazine while a woman behind him in a furry beast outfit is crouching and rubbing herself to the indifferent-seeming man. In the end the man turn on his stomach and reveals his ripped and bloody back and the beast woman gently licks the back of the neck of the man. The concept of “the beauty and the beast” has been constructed and reconstructed countless times so that the flipping of the gender roles in this context has itself turned into a convention of some sort. However, in a relationship one or the other has to occasionally play the part of the monster. It is just a question of which one can play the part better, If you want to hurt your partner you can either choose from extreme indifference of monstrous psychological or physical violence. The idea of either of those strategies being pinpointed into a gender is as a thought ridiculous and purely based on the culturally learned models.
Still images from the video.
Installationview from Kluuvi gallery of Helsinki Art Museum 2010.