Video installation, diverse objects, papier mâché, 1 minute on loop, 2021

This is a video installation composed of a computer screen on a yoga mat surrounded by diverse objects. It is a portal giving one access to a nice pair of buttocks. Using found footage, the video shows the behind of influencers teaching their followers how to have a “perky booty”. It explores the image of the buttocks in contemporary Western society spread via online channels and social media.

Round butttocks in the West was first an exotic ‘thing’ during colonial history. Much later, it became a symbol of pride by Afro-American female rappers leading to body positivism. The meaning of the buttocks has shifted again and has been recuperated by media companies and influencers. It is now an object used for individual branding. With social media and its virality, images of round buttocks have been embedded in the context of our homes and private lives. They pop up on the screen of our devices like an ad for a pair of pants. A nice butt has become a motivation to exercise, and the promise of a better life.

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