Center for Contemporary Arts CSU

Velvet 6 – Seduction. Intimacy and Ritual

Račka Gallery, 29. 10. – 13. 12. 2027

Gaja Aksinja Abramović, Teja Arzenšek, Ana Baraga, Andrea Bojkovska, Maša Bornšek, Nina Bric, Lea Culetto, Sofiya Delay, Natan Esku, Katja Felle, Peter Ferlan, Maja Lesjak Gavriloska, Hana Nekrep, Nina Kavzar, Anja Krajnc, Andreja Kranjec, Vesna Lenić Kreže, Nea Likar, Eva Mlinar, Tinka Mesec Tomazin, Maja Poljanc, Nela Poberžnik, Karin Rošker, Maruša Štibelj, Jože Šubic, Žana Šuran, Mira Uršič, Tina Volarič, Adriana Vučković, Sara Žičkar.

Seduction ritual scan be described as tentative attempts to get closer to a person, while leaving enough room for ambiguity and gentle protection through the option of denying our true intentions. Courtship, seduction and flirting are synonyms, yet each carries its own connotations. The initial attempts at establishing a new relationship have gone through numerous transformations and guidelines throughout history: from extravagant dances to short digital messages, from the clearly defined gender roles to their reversals. Seduction may be practical, anxious, playful, nonchalant or grandiose. Each of these modalities serves the end goal, while even the seemingly most trivial social rituals consistently prove to be fundamental indicators of the socio-political climate. Seduction, the approaches to seduction, the preferences of a potential partner and the preferred form of the relationship reveal not only an individual’s personality traits but also point to broader collective characteristics. How did we use to approach one another and how do we do it now? The chaotic mix of emotions during the initial stages of getting to know one another remains much the same.

Velvet 6 – Seduction, Intimacy and Ritual invited the authors to consider seduction as a complex psychological and physical process, and, by accepting the selected works, covered a broad spectrum of interpretations regarding the establishment of a relationship. Erotica within the topic of seduction cannot be simplified to its mere physical expression, as most of its dynamics unfolds in the stages preceding physical contact. The source of the erotica is found in our own bodies and minds, in our relationship to ourselves, where we form the environment to take a step closer to our fantasies after entering the mental space of desire. Thus, most of the erotic process is mental, questioning and hopeful of the best. The act of approaching someone is burdened by social, historical and individual expectation of what we are about to express, when we reveal our intentions and how these are likely to be received. The works on display alternate between self-love and introspection and an open external expression. Both cases reveal a reflection on the undertones of insecurity, the act of summoning courage to enter the unknown, all the while contending with the primal, almost mythological felling of shame at the prospect of laying oneself bare. Throughout the overarching theme of the exhibition, it becomes apparent that what prevails is often an overwhelming urge to follow one’s desires and the possibility of an ecstatic union with someone new who might fulfil one’s expectations. This is mainly told by the illustrations, which incorporated animalistic, natural and biblical motives, while directly addressing the parallels with the primal patterns and rituals of attraction, courtship and passion. They also provide us with a sense of an idealisation of the animalistic, unburdened by the caution and calculation.

An important aspect of this year’s edition is the strong presence of socially critical concepts. Before entering a new form of intimacy, the authors portrayed seduction as a process involving multiple layers of risk. Our vulnerability and the resulting sense of being at risk, the socially defined shortcoming, stereotypes and judgements, become starkly apparent just before we are ready to enter into a new relationship. What will make us desirable, and what will lead to us being judged? Fear does not arise from individual preferences of our potential partner, rather it stems from the collectively constructed standards regarding physical attractiveness and gender, as well as the historically imposed norms and power dynamics within established patterns. At the one end of the spectrum, we encounter the successful, romantic and devoted melding of individuals, their physical and emotional intimacy and an idealised loving relationship with both oneself and the other. Other illustrations, full of danger, doubt, performance and nostalgia, reveal levels of experience that we overcome before reaching the final goal of a harmonious coexistence and sexual union. The authors approach these illustrations using visually darker, often mystical interpretations of the psychologically cannibalistic undertones of surrendering the self, highlighting the strong presence of patriarchal patterns in the perception of beauty and the perceived right to initiating a contact. These two possibilities are not mutually exclusive, as they are interrelated processes that feed into one another through caution and the encouragement to take risks.

It turns out that interpersonal relationships still exist in the hope of creating a unique atmosphere capable of overcoming external burdens and expectations. The works candidly address inner chaos and the overwhelming need for connection with others. This edition successfully illustrates an element of tenderness and a light-heartedness within the predetermined, intensely burdened erotic and psychological processes that lead to intimacy. Drawing on universal human experience as reflected in visual art, we can see that, despite the dangers, struggles and obstacles, the process of seduction still reveals, above all, an intoxicating beauty sustained by courage that continually keeps renewing itself.

Sara Nuša Golob Grabner