In this video, I attempt to liken the vanitas concept of still life paintings to the death-like feeling experienced while having an orgasm. The video is shot in the conventional Dutch vanitas style with symbolism in the objects composed in the frame. The frame is eroticized with the hidden vibrators that do their own erratic dance. The movements in a serious set up like this which depicts temporality and the fleeting nature of all worldly desires make for a comical viewing. The staged bubbles floating in the space add to the comic drama of the still frame. The vibrators with feathers inside the birdcage, wrapped under pearl necklaces and shaped in the form of lipsticks provide varied sounds that elude the viewer from attaching a set narrative and in fact, give the spectator space to wander freely and think critically.

This video depicts a private domestic space, interspersed with the same household objects that contain the vibrators, imparting random sounds that lure the viewer to seek the objects. The tension develops as the viewer attempts to decipher the space, interrupted by the sudden movements of the objects that unexpectedly break the stillness, calling for attention and an inquiry into the reproduction of that which is personal, erotic yet a bit ambiguous in this case. There is an absence of the physical body in the videos, but the eroticism is suggested by the inclusion of vibrators, their sounds and movements. The videos are voyeuristic and pornographic as they aid “the publication of that which is private” (Preciado 266 -267) but negate other tropes such as, sex as performance (Preciado 268), in its literal sense. The videos aim to subvert the male gaze through a still, passive, almost sterile and ambiguous set up that denies the logic of pornography – a feminine eroticized technological apparatus but lacking an embodied image (Preciado 265).

My videos are a bit strange. They posit a kitchen but then there is a rabbit on the kitchen counter and suddenly the whole film is (Pocius)noisy, and the viewer is left wondering what is producing this noise which might sound familiar yet remains unfamiliar. The rabbit symbolically stands for physical love – unbridled sexuality and lust. It is also a symbol of fertility, prolific breeding, vitality and sexual desires. In recent contexts, the Playboy bunny was known to have ‘humorous sexual connotations’, ‘frisky and playful’. And to add to these symbolisms, the rabbit vibrator – a specifically designed vibrator is known to provide both clitoral and penetrative pleasure. These symbolisms of the rabbit inspired me to place the animal in an unassuming domestic space of the kitchen. The rabbit adds to the humor but the long take, detached framing and lack of control of the viewer’s gaze gives the viewer the freedom to interpret and make their own connections.

Changing times require for us to regenerate new ways of presenting artist work. This video is an attempt to create an artist statement in the moving image format considering the virtual-ity of everything that the pandemic has brought upon human existence. With the cancellation of physical exhibition and art shows, I felt the need to reconsider the medium of my artist statements. Usually presented as text and image for the purpose of reading, this statement exposes my art practice by way of visuals and voice. I shot this video on my iPhone and recorded the voice in an enclosed toilet space. Apart from the final artwork, the visuals reveal a small art studio in the confines of my home, my creative process and also my conceptual orientation which would have otherwise gone unnoticed in a written statement. This video was showcased at the Academia Nacional de Belas-Artes, Lisbon, Portugal for their virtual exhibition – 5MD, June 2020 and for Drawing Us in at The Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, Florida.