Amsterdam , 1996
GIGOLO DARKROOM
One hour with a gigolo that looks like Pierre (the mannequin from Cinema Solo) in my studio at the Rijksakademie. Afterwards I converted my studio into a darkroom and developed the photos of my date with Pierre in the presence of an audience.
Performance, 120 photos, dark room, red light, 7 chairs.
‘I wanted to know what would happen with me if Pierre were, for an hour, a real living man. I went to an agency, looking for someone who was identical for Pierre. What would happen to me if I could give him all of the affection that I have? Affection not for someone in particular, but the kind of affection that eats at me from inside for years now.
Pierre comes to my atelier, as if he has already been there before, and sits down as if this chair were a part of our life together. I cook for him, speak to him about my family; he listens to me as if our intimacy was already a fact. 20 minutes pass and I take off his shirt and give him the shirt belonging to my mannequin Pierre. I touch his muscles and they give me warmth.’
‘I wanted to know what would happen with me if Pierre were, for an hour, a real living man. I went to an agency, looking for someone who was identical for Pierre. What would happen to me if I could give him all of the affection that I have? Affection not for someone in particular, but the kind of affection that eats at me from inside for years now.
Pierre comes to my atelier, as if he has already been there before, and sits down as if this chair were a part of our life together. I cook for him, speak to him about my family; he listens to me as if our intimacy was already a fact. 20 minutes pass and I take off his shirt and give him the shirt belonging to my mannequin Pierre. I touch his muscles and they give me warmth.’