.
Venus Patel | Playlist on Spirit
Venus Patel, Monsters of the Apocalypse (Filmstill), 2023
…
Dates:
26.10
2023
This playlist is part of SEA Foundation’s long-term programme on art and sustainability. The work is part of a series of commissioned works and as such linked to the epilogue in fold #08 on Spirit.
Listen to other playlists by invitees Bernice Nauta (NL), Susana López a.k.a. Susan Drone (ES), Ophelie Naessens (FR), Costin Chioreanu (RO), Caz Egelie a.k.a. menu menu (NL), Irene de Boer (NL), Pei-Hsuan Wang (TW/BE) and Gala-Porras Kim (CO/US).
Press
Commission
Venus Patel
Playlist on Spirit
In its many manifestations, “Spirit” is inherent to Venus Patel’s practice, and in many ways, the driving force. Spirit is an unboundless organism containing multitudes of incoherent connections. It is the connection between her mind to her body to you to the earth and onward. Venus feels it most when she performs. The total encapsulation of herself into a pure ball of white hot energy, and she allows it to move through herself freely. She gives herself over to her, Spirit; for she is Spirit, as are you. In her most human moments, Venus feels it. She lets the emotions bubble over the revelatory and the cynical, the absurd and the rational, the docile and the violent. Spirit pushes Venus to change the world she sees, for she knows that it could be better. It is the violent enigma that shakes her to fight. Her work has always sought to capture this feeling, to capture the mystical essence of Spirit, and ultimately, to lift up the veil of illusionment that has been placed upon us.
Spirit
Bio
Venus Patel is an experimental filmmaker and performance artist based in Dublin. Patel’s work concerns her experience as a trans femme of color, trying to navigate the world. Through the use of costuming, unique characters, and a DIY aesthetic, she encapsulates the campy blend of her queer identity. Venus questions the heteronormative society we live in, why the need to conform is so heavily enforced, and how that affects the perceptions of ourselves, others, and the world around us. Although her work deals with serious subject matter, she utilizes a unique mix of humor, absurdity, and abjection to create multi-faceted performances and films.
