The Project
Art, just like beauty, is subjective and often gives rise to controversial views. Art polarises opinion and provides a framework for shedding a special – and sometimes new – light on serious social issues. This is precisely what my new project, @vour dick pic in_oil, is all about. The aim here is not simply to create a pictorial representation of male genitalia in oil paint – rather, it is about important, socially taboo topics such as inappropriate behaviour, sexualisation within relationships, and the reduction of one’s own identity to the size, shape and appearance of one’s genitals. In my work as a freelance photographer and make-up artist, with my own studio in Hamm (North Rhine-Westphalia), I have a great deal of contact with clients—both men and women—who harbour strong self-doubts about their appearance.
It is not uncommon for them to tell me about their experiences when looking for a partner and the discomfort of being harassed with intimate photos right from the first point of contact (particularly with online dating). This is also a widespread phenomenon in the ‘gay scene’. The anonymity of the internet seems to further lower the barriers to overstepping boundaries and sexualisation.
‘Empathy for the victim’ and a sense of how to shape relationships appropriately are increasingly taking a back seat. The reduction of one’s own person – and thus one’s own worth – to one’s genitals also inevitably takes place in this context. Last but not least, the number of cosmetic procedures on the genitals is also rising rapidly. Is this, then, supposed to represent the future of relationship-building in the world of online dating? To illustrate this imbalance visually, I have set myself the aim of provocatively capturing precisely this human reduction and transgression of boundaries on canvas. To this end, I sought out 15 men who agreed to act as models. Through my artworks, I bring shame- and power-laden topics out of the ‘dirty corner’ and give them a new face, thereby integrating them into the social consciousness. My message therefore centres on treating oneself and others with respect.
Photographer/Make-up and Oilpaint Artist
