When the mind says No
Just behind the Ukrainian Pavilion is one of those nice little squares of which Venice has so many. It has a small 13th century church, the Chiesetta della Misericordia, which houses this year the Dutch Pavilion of the Biennale with the video installation When the body says Yes by Melanie Bonajo.
After years of relative isolation due to covid that deprived us of intimate contact with ‘the other’ and only allowed communication via zoom meetings on computer screens, a video installation that reflects on the necessity of bodily touch and intimacy for human welfare seems a promising choice. And although When the body says Yes does now and then serve up nice pictures like the one above, it imparts many long drawn-out sex-therapeutic sessions. That’s not what I expect at an Art Biennale. I am afraid here the fact that Bonajo is also a sexological bodyworker and sex coach comes in the way of her art. When the body says Yes is too much of a therapeutic account and too little art. A missed opportunity.
Photo of the week: Melanie Bonajo, ‘When the body says Yes’, video installation 2022, Venice Biennale, Italy 2022
καιρός remembered 
Goede titel, Louk, voor deze foto van de week. We waren gisteren, 25 aug, in de chiesetta om het werk van Bojano te bezoeken en ik – en ook de anderen – delen dezelfde mening.
Helaas was This is Ukraine er sinds 7 aug al niet meer ter compensatie.
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