On an increasingly efficient production floor, we work against the odds. Our bodies are on the brink of burnout, while robots and artificial intelligence threaten to replace us. Alienated from our humanity and burdened with a latent feeling of inadequacy, we exploit ourselves and each other. Can we still revolt, or must we also automate our resistance? The building welcomed visitors for eight hours, mirroring a typical workday.
The exhibition of live arts, including works by Dries and six other artists, explored the evolving role of humans amidst automation. The event showcased numerous performances, visual artworks and videos that examined the relationship between employer, employee, and art consumer.
At the start of Dries flew to Lagos, Nigeria to create a work exploring a potential future African exodus. However, the performers of Kininso Koncepts were hesitant to portray themselves as possible migrants. They preferred to turn the lengthy history of stereotyping on its head, and to direct their gaze at us, Europeans. A camera crew from Nollywood, the heart of the African film industry, leapt on board. Armed with cameras, film lighting, and a high-speed internet connection, they created a piece centred around our European self-image now that our expectations of the future here begin to falter.
How deep-rooted are the images of ourselves and the other? How long can we hold onto our comfortable position of power? Dear beloved friend, is a live film performance. The work was performed at the Seaside Cottage Theatre in Lagos and screened live in theaters and at festivals in the Netherlands. Visitors can walk around the replica single-family home, and peek through the windows at the depiction of a chemsex party.
In one sense, the work questions our relationship to subversion and brazen sexual gratification in an increasingly sanitised public domain. Yet the performance also shows men in their faltering search for vulnerability and companionship. Are they the vanguard of a new liberation movement?
