Faith Holland, “Sub/emissions” (2015) (all images courtesy Faith Holland and TRANSFER Gallery)
Faith Holland’s show TECHNOPHILIA at Transfer Gallery left me wanting more, kind of like I imagine a good dick pic would. Of course, like any sexualized image sent between two consenting parties, it’s not about the image — it’s about the energy activated between sender and receiver, two participants in a virtual fantasy space. The space of screens is presumed to be safe, playful, and creative, but it can also veer into loneliness, isolation, and self-reflection. To pin sexualized digital imagery into either end of this spectrum, however, isn’t useful; in true postmodern, post-modem fashion, meaning is found in the viewer’s desire to connect, play, and be a voyeur.
In her show, Holland considers our virtual engagement with sexualized images, occupying both floors and walls of the rectangular gallery space. The largest and most arresting array of GIFs, entitled “Visual Orgasms” (2013–2015), occupies an entire wall and is inspired by the sexual imagery used in films pre-Hays Code, enacted in 1930 and not to be lifted until 1968, effectively banning visual suggestions of sexuality and lust, including sensual kissing, nudity, and suggestive dancing in favor of a more “moral,” conservative approach to gender and sexuality. As with all censorship attempts, the Hays Code led American filmmakers to become more covert in the ways they slipped in sex and sexuality, adding more dirty looks, coded language, and subliminal sexual messaging. Playing off of this, Holland arranges a variety of GIFs alluding to orgasms and loops them over and over again. We watch rockets blasting off, volcanoes erupting, bells ringing, birds ’n bees gettin’ it, fireworks blasting — but there is no end to the hypervisual images, which eventually lead to overstimulation and burnout.
Read the full review here: http://hyperallergic.com/219902/from-cum-shots-to-orgasmic-gifs-a-playful-take-on-online-sex-culture/
