Essen

Victoria Stanton . Essen

"This playful and meditative performance insists that one is not permitted to feed oneself but instead be fed by one's dining partner (drinking independently is allowed). As a performance, ESSEN creates an opportunity to pay close attention and to slow down time. In so doing, it serves to address several themes that have occurred in much of my artistic work over the last number of years - my contentious relationship to food (and eating), as well as issues around body, sexuality, intimacy, and obsession/addiction. While this work has previously only been undertaken in non-art spaces, for the exhibition I plan to bring the performance into the gallery, inviting audience members (participants) to come and share a meal. Public meals, carried out in the same manner as previous ESSEN performances, are scheduled repeatedly throughout the course of the exhibition."