‘The three confessions’
Site-specific installation
Mixed-media installations, sound, 2022
Heilig Hartkerk, Venlo
I made three works in three confessionals inside a church in Venlo that was scheduled for renovation.
Confession room_1
Confession room_1
Installation, sounds
Clay, acrylic, fabric, silk, rope, jade, wooden pedestal, feather, sensor lights, sweet potato plants, smoke alarm (low batteries), curtain wood, curtain, electric motor
In the central compartment, I placed an imagined sculpture of Tu’er Shen — a Chinese deity who governs love and sex between homosexual men. Red dots spread across the walls of the confessional, as if the space has fallen ill from his presence. The curtain closes as visitors approach, and opens again as they leave.
Confession room_2
Confession room_2
Video installation, 00:02:38, sounds
Wooden pedestal, clay, screen, speaker, candle
In this confessional, a voice recording plays — someone speaking about a same-sex attraction they find difficult to articulate. The audio is accompanied by a video, in which I analyzed the recording, identifying what was genuine and what was performed, and marked each component with captions.
Confession room_3
Confession room_3
Video Installation, 00:14:05, sounds
Screen, sweet potatoes, Han Chinese clothing, wooden pedestal
In the third confessional, I placed a video and outfit from my first public performance, held at Frank Taal, Rotterdam, in 2022. Performance is the medium I find most difficult to understand.