SANCTIONED SEX (2003)

Much is exposed but little is revealed. Contradictions abound in strip clubs. At once public and intimate, they invite ogling while they fend off scrutiny. Prurient and pecuniary interests collide in this space where titillation and arousal are bought and sold. Beneath the gaudy surface, invisible to the self-interested observer, more subtle dynamics are in play. The strip club is a stage upon which fantasies are enacted. Desire comes in many shapes and sizes: customers shop for a good fit at the right price.

My work renders the narratives written in gestures, expressions, and interactions. I am both drawn in and repelled. My presence in this male haven produces tension. Clothed women spoil the illusion and I know I am unwelcome. I myself am yet another contradiction in this space. 

Quotes from performers and patrons annotate these dark tableaux. Ironies emerge in the juxtaposition of images with words. The text is drawn from web sites offering patrons' reviews of the clubs depicted (stripclublist.com, mensclubguide.com) and from threaded discussion forums frequented by strippers (stripperweb.com). Together they bare an illusory world where customers seek intimacy, a commodity proffered by young women who seek a living wage.