Webcam Venus
Rechtstraat 80
In Webcam Venus, Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia invite online sex cam performers to embody iconic works of art. The title references Venus, the goddess of love and desire, while challenging ideals of female beauty in art history. This work positions itself within the enduring entanglement between art and eroticism.
Who controls representations of female nudity? Artists’ models have traditionally had little say in their portrayal, as painters, sculptors and patrons controlled their image. Sex cam performers, however, can supposedly set their prices and poses. Yet their working conditions vary. Some operate independently while others face precarious circumstances. The power dynamic between viewer and performer remains unclear.
The explicit content in Webcam Venus makes a public presentation challenging, so it is shown in the portico of SAC. Here, in a nod to peep shows, the anonymous viewer – you – presses a doorbell to reveal the scene. Rather than explicit acts, one watches performers adopting poses from celebrated artworks. The performer and voyeur share an unusual vulnerability as the desiring gaze becomes a self-conscious moment of aesthetic contemplation.
Thanks to SAC.