Middle Gate

    NLEN

    The exhibition project Middle Gate II – The Story of Dymphna is a collaboration between M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp) and the cultural centre de Werft in Geel. Middle Gate II is the follow up to the exhibition Middle Gate, curated by Jan Hoet in Geel in 2013. The exhibition concept is closely tied to the legend of the holy Dymphna, saint of the possessed, the mentally ill and patroness against epilepsy and insanity. The legend of Dymphna shares a strong connection to the identity of Geel, "the charitable city".

    Vika Begalska

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    video still: (c) Victoria Begalskaya, Collection M HKA, Antwerp, Donation of the artist, 2016
    Aphrodite’s Girdle, 2014
    Vika Begalska
    Video , 00:27:30
    video, documentary, color, sound, English subtitle

    Aphrodite’s Girdle is a puppet show created by the Teresa Creative Union of Artists and sex-workers (Vika Begalska, Alexander Vilkin, Marina Denisova, Taira Dance, Diana Portlend, Sergey Potapov, Karina 'Katwoman' Dulina, Baretta). The show is based on interviews and life stories of streetwalkers who were also directly involved in the creation of the performance. Juxtaposing the common view of modern society with true images of sex workers, the puppet show tinges a harsh reality with a sense of melancholy, while at the same time giving it an ironic twist. Aphrodite’s Girdle must be situated within the context of activist, post-feminist works, positioning the film not as a critique of male dominance, but rather as a critique of this critique. It evidences a sense of bravura and pride, and is a clear demonstration that the women performing in this puppet theatre have not lost control over who they are.

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