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Much
is exposed but little is revealed. Contradictions abound in strip clubs.
At once public and intimate, they invite ogling while they fend off
scrutiny. Prurient and pecuniary interests collide in this space where
titillation and arousal are bought and sold. Beneath the gaudy surface,
invisible to the self-interested observer, more subtle dynamics are
in play. The strip club is a stage upon which fantasies are enacted.
Desire comes in many shapes and sizes: customers shop for a good fit
at the right price.
My work renders the narratives written in gestures, expressions, and
interactions. I am both drawn in and repelled. My presence in this male
haven produces tension. Clothed women spoil the illusion and I know
I am unwelcome. I myself am yet another contradiction in this space.
Quotes from performers and patrons annotate these
dark tableaux. Ironies emerge in the juxtaposition of images with words.
The text is drawn from web sites offering patrons' reviews of the clubs
depicted (stripclublist.com, mensclubguide.com) and from threaded discussion
forums frequented by strippers (stripperweb.com). Together they bare
an illusory world where customers seek intimacy, a commodity proffered
by young women who seek a living wage. |
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