melanie bonajo
When the body says Yes
17.02.2023
04.06.2023
When the body says Yes is an immersive video installation by melanie bonajo. The artist believes that touch can be a powerful remedy for the loneliness that has become endemic in our society.
bonajo brought together a group of international genderqueer people, many with a bicultural identity, to cast a collective spell in the form of a pleasure-positive camp where “skinship” is celebrated. Do you know the sensual dimensions of your “No”? How do you feel when your body says “Yes”? When the body says Yes is a gentle invitation to let yourself be transported on a journey of discovery.
melanie bonajo (they/them) is an artist, filmmaker, sexological bodyworker, somatic sex coach and educator, hug workshop leader, and activist. Their videos, performances, photographs and installations investigate topical issues arising from the capitalism system. bonajo spotlights themes such as isolation and the erosion of intimacy in an increasingly sterile, technological world. They then provide anti-capitalist methods for reconnecting and for rediscovering sexuality, intimacy and feelings.
With When the body says Yes, melanie bonajo represented the Netherlands at the 2022 Venice Biennale. The work was commissioned by the Mondriaan Fonds and curated by the team of Orlando Maaike Gouwenberg, Geir Haraldseth and Soraya Pol. The installation is a collaboration with Théo Demans.
Photo: melanie bonajo, When the body says Yes, wallpaper, Collection FOMU, 2023/44 © melanie bonajo