Soft Vxnxs is a large-scale, inflatable sculpture installation by South African artist Goldendean, presented in the Zeitz MOCAA Atrium Bowl. By inviting museum visitors to touch or embrace the work, the artist, as a ‘Fat Queer White Trans body’ in the context of South Africa, questions who or what is entitled to take up space. In doing so, they address the personal and political of hypervisibility: being visible (as a fat, queer, white, trans body) and invisible, unimportant at the same time (as a fat, queer, white, trans body). Hutton calls their Tenderqueer sculptures ‘soft-radicals’. They are round, soft, flexible, and inviting. Society expects fat and messy bodies to turn up traumatized and out of breath and never cheerful, horny, or beaming with political speech. In response, Soft Vxnxs creates comfort and space for vulnerability.
Originally commissioned by HETHEM for Chapter 4OUR: Abundance curated by Simon(e), van Saarloos. Also exhibited at the Utrecht Library for the What You See festival.
Exhibition dates:
Tuesday, 15 February – Tuesday, 31 May 2022
10 am – 6 pm, Tuesday – Sunday
Listen to the Audio Guide for this exhibition below: