It was a wild ride this year.
Venus’ Revolution, the symbol for woman and the feminist movement, the planet, the goddess. So many strong feelings around this subject.
This year I just had one painting, plus the small installation of banners with angry little messages. I was chuckling to myself as I finished them. It is so typical of me that even when the words are furious, the image is all pink and pretty.
Here’s the artist’s statement about the painting:
Bougainville discovered Polynesia when he arrived in Tahiti in 1768. Returning home enchanted by this island paradise, populated by topless tattooed women who could freely choose their sexual partners, offering themselves to the foreign sailors, whom they beleived to be gods.
With their readymade garden of Eden myth and the disobedient Eve, the returning explorers started a campain to convince the authorities of the need to convert this «savage» population to Christianity, cover their nudity and destroy their pagan idols. We know their real purpose was to exploit the natural ressources and create a port of call. They used shame as a psychological domination technique, as it is still used in our capitalist, narcissistic societies today.
This work, Retribution Ritual, is a feminist revenge fantasy of the oppressed; a Wahinis’ revolution, where they have realized early on that their innocence and generosity have been abused, which leads them to return the violence they have suffered and become the perpetrators, offering the heads of their enemies to the Tiki idol, symbolically dismantling patriarchy.
A closeup:
Some of the banners:
Some information about the event:
⭐️GANG OF WITCHES ⭐️
Espace Léon Cœur
3, rue Portefoin 3eme Paris
Release of our 2018 Book: Venus 220 Pages limited edition 300 copies
Exposition « Venus’ révolution »
ARTISTS:
• Paola Hivelin – Visions – Peinture & sculpture • Melanie Torok – Wake Up – Photos • Sunny Buick – Retribution Ritual – Installation • Ciou – Éléments – Paintings • Sandrine Elberg – Yuki-Onna – Photos •Mina Mond – HAX – Painting •Lorenzo – Without Anything, But This – Photos •Frédéric Betsch – à l’ombre des containers – Photos •Vivien Bertin – Iceland – Photos •Julie Atlas Muz –Venus – Performance •Émilie Jouvet – My Body My Rules – Film •Aymeric Bergadat du Cadet – Icône – Photo
⭐️PROGRAM for 24, May, 2018⭐️
GOW We Are Gang of Witches – Music performance
Mikka Lommi –We are gang of Witches – Video Clip
Tattoo booth with flash created for the event
Julie Atlas Muz –Venus – Performance
Most photos by Yohann Cordell
Photo by www.instagram.com/@vOrace_cina.bela
Photo by www.instagram.com/@vOrace_cina.bela
Photo by www.instagram.com/@vOrace_cina.bela
Photo by www.instagram.com/@vOrace_cina.bela
Beaux Arts Magzine came to film the event!! We are so happy with the results, thanks Beaux Arts!
I recently painted a book cover for a local artist, it’s called Chansons Cachées. The author came by and did this interview with me.
Thank you so much to the team who put this together and all my friends who made it out for the party. See you next year!
Pour les francophones: Un texte sur mon tableau
Bougainville a découvert la Polynésie en arrivant à Tahiti en 1768. Il est rentré chez lui enchanté par cette île paradisiaque, peuplée de femmes tatouées aux seins nus qui, libres de choisir leurs partenaires sexuels, s’offrirent aux marins, qu’elle prirent pour des dieux. Aveuglés par le mythe du jardin d’Éden et son Ève désobéissante, à leur retour, les explorateurs commencèrent une campagne visant à convaincre les autorités de la nécessite de convertir cette population de « sauvages » au christianisme, de couvrir leur nudité et de brûler leurs idoles païennes. Il va sans dire que leur but était d’exploiter les ressources naturelles et de soumettre la population. Ils utilisèrent la honte de soi comme technique de domination, comme continuent de le faire nos sociétés capitalistes et perverses aujourd’hui. Ce travail, Retribution Ritual, est un fantasme féministe de revanche des opprimées, une révolution des Vahinés où elles réalisent que leur innocence et leur générosité ont été abusées. Elles retournent donc la violence contre leurs agresseurs, offrant leurs têtes coupées à leur idole Tiki, décapitant symboliquement le patriarcat.