b. 1978 Edinburgh, Scotland
state of the he/art [serenata]
4.11 minutes (video still)
The artist sings a broken-hearted serenade with the backing
of a full Mariachi band. Through the appropriation of a classic Mexican
unrequited-love song, Cielo Rojo, the traditionally macho genre of
Ranchero music is subverted in a tragi-comical way while the underlying
earnest personal narrative brings a vulnerability and wretchedness
to the piece.
state of the he/art [so macho]
1.20 minutes (video still)
The artist appropriates a British pop song from the 1980s, So Macho
by Sinitta, speaking it in video diary style in her bedroom whilst
subtitles accompany her, making reference to karaoke. The artist’s
openness and honesty belie the actual words being said as the piece
plays on young women’s desires and expectations in a post-post-feminist
culture. Together, the videos create a dialogue between contradictory
facets of gender relations.