“(…) C’est au contraire du fait que nous sommes humain, et que nous vivons dans la sombre perspective de la mort, que nous connaissons la violence exaspérée, la violence desesperee de l’erotism.”

“…It is on the contrary the fact that we are human, and live in the dark prospect of death, that we know the exasperated violence, the desperate violence of erotism.”¹

George Bataille, Les Larmes D’eros 1961

Human sexuality, along with the pervasive socio-cultural mythology surrounding it, has been a persistent theme in my intellectual and artistic pursuits. This subject highlights the inherent tension created by a topic that has historically been obscured by its own taboos, while also offering a rich and complex tapestry that represents both primal instincts and the intellectually evolved aspects of human impulsivity.

The original work “Evidence” attempts to reconcile these tensions by delving into the fevered dreams of Georges Bataille in “Histoire de l’oeil” (Story of the Eye), and is further explored in his later writings, “L’érotisme” (Erotism) and “Les Larmes d’Éros” (Tears of Eros).

In “Story of the Eye,” Bataille challenges his audience to uncover abstract philosophical truths within this grotesque, pornographic dreamscape. He creates tensions between what is culturally celebrated and what is societally shunned, targeting the superficial “propriety” of society. This compels readers to move beyond the comfortable confines of intellectually acceptable yet often chauvinistic and voyeuristic erotic literature into a nightmarish world where societal norms are turned into absurdities.

Moreover, his narrative is built around a radical—and largely deemed impossible—vision of gender roles, depicting a chaotic, beastly apocalypse where cherished notions of healthy sexuality devolve into a hellscape filled with dismembered human and animal bodies, incomprehensible violence, and freely flowing bodily fluids. 

Ultimately, the prose serves a greater purpose: reveling in the profound darkness that underlies a society built on cultural repression of marginalized groups, including women, the non-heteronormative, the genderqueer, people of color, and the economically disadvantaged. 

In my continued study of Bataille’s work, I found that his final book, “Les Larmes d’Éros,” reveals the clearest analysis and theories he articulated in “Story of the Eye” and throughout his oeuvre.

A la vérité, le sentiment de gêne à l’égard de l’activité sexuelle rappelle, en sens du moins, le sentiment de gêne à l’égard de la mort et des morts. La “Violence” nous déborde étrangement dans chaque cas : chaque fois, ce qui se passe est étranger à l’ordre des choses reçu, auquel s’oppose chaque fois cette violence.

“In truth, the sense of embarrassment in regards to sexual activity is reminiscent of – at least
– the feeling of embarrassment in relation
to death and the dead. “Violence” stresses us strangely in each case: each time, what happens is foreign to the order of things received, to which this violence opposes each time.” ²

George Bataille, Les Larmes D’eros 1961

His clear analysis of the unsettling similarities between the discomfort experienced when observing death and the discomfort felt during the viewing of sexual activity marked a significant milestone in my journey toward developing a more comprehensive understanding of sex, sexuality, and the representation of sexual customs across different cultures.³

In the project “Evidence: Blood,” I created a series of photographs over a four-year period on a farm in Vermont. The images explore the tension between the horror and repulsion of their content and the sexualized, aesthetic beauty inherent in that same content.

In the process of making the images, I allowed myself to be caught up in the ‘action’ of creating the ‘beautiful’ images, while simultaneously dealing with my body and mind revolting at the “situation”; i.e the taking of a life, for the consumption of its flesh, a normal exigence of all animal existence as is the need to procreate. 

In creating each visually stunning image, I allowed myself to be captivated by the heightened emotional intensity of the situation. The rush of adrenaline, my strong predatory instincts, and the sharpness of my heightened senses all contributed to this experience. I surrendered to the overwhelming sensations, akin to an animal’s instinctual reaction to intense sexual attraction or excitement.

The resulting images are both artificial and lifeless, very similar to the cheap plastic trinkets you might find in a dollar store. They resemble the glossy visuals used in commercial advertising, whether that involves selling meat by appealing to sexual themes or vice versa, creating a mix of one imitation after another.

The process of creating this imagery is largely disconnected from the experience of viewing it in an art gallery. Unless the installation is conducted in a controlled environment, filled with the screams of frightened pigs and permeated by the metallic smell of blood, along with the sharp scent of crushed grass and the dull heat of fresh manure, these prints can be compared to the often-repeated cliché by surrealist René Magritte: “Ceci n’est pas un cochon.”

I have drawn upon Georges Bataille as the foundation for my work on sexuality, using his ideas to structure my exploration. Additionally, contemporary feminist writers such as Maggie Nelson, Lisa Lowe, and Eileen Myles, along with theorists like Alexander G. Weheliye, have inspired me to critically examine notions of “normalcy” in relation to society in the post-industrial world. Their insights have encouraged me to challenge our acceptance of propriety, which is often shaped by a Western male perspective.

The cultural products now seem designed to analyze themselves and to make a spectacle of their essentially consumable perversity.

Maggie Nelson –The Art of Cruelty 2011