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2022 | Preserve | Walk-in installation | Lightweight construction system | Size (H X W X B): 1,50 x 2,0 x 2,5 m
The title Hegen refers to the legal obligation anchored in German hunting practice to preserve and care forests and wild animals (Hegen und pflegen). The works Hegen & Pflegen were conceived for the solo exhibition Waxed City which took place in a peripheral public space in Berlin and aims to draw a parallel between the constant management of nature and that of the body.
The dimensions of the room are those of a Brazilian waxing cabin. The enclosed but upwardly open space is used as a sight screen in beauty studios in popular urban areas. The space is usually equipped with a treatment table, a stool, a shelf and a pot of hot wax to have any body parts waxed by a depiladora (beautician). In the narratives of the consumer society, hair removal is a ritual of well-being. Since the 1990s, Brasilian waxing, which defines the partial or total removal of hair from intimate areas, has become part of the body care culture even if it is considered very painful.
During the Waxed City exhibition, the audience entered the cabin individually through the door, which they closed behind them. The installation was accompanied by a performance in another location on the site.
Funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds Berlin (HKF) and
Senate Departement for Culture and Europe
WAXED CITY, site-specific exhibition, Allée du stade, Berlin-Wedding, curated by Christof Zwiener, BETON Berlin, 2022 / Project Space Festival, Berlin Germany | Photo: Laura G. Vidal