Have you seen this video of a naked man showing his penis in front of children at the Musée de la Civilization in Quebec?
Don’t be offended, the museum tells us!
It is a “performance of contemporary art”!
MUSEUM OF DECIVILIZATION
The video, filmed by Rebel News Quebec, has been widely circulated. It shows a man wrapped in cling film. Two people armed with scissors cut open the film and then cut open his underpants to reveal his penis.
The bearded performer then puts on a dress and heels and switches from one “gender” to another.
You can clearly see several small children in the audience covering their eyes.
During the performance, the man declaimed in a theatrical tone: “Since my journey was preceded by a black trans woman, I can emancipate myself tonight in the museum.” My skin is made of Plexiglas. We’ll see each other in the mirror. All classes removed. White skin, white skin. immaculate. Privileged white skin. Are you afraid to think about it? »
Here is the statement sent to me by Anne-Sophie Desmeules, the museum’s spokesperson: “During the opening night of the One of a kind exhibition, several artists were invited to perform, including Barbada, the circus group Flip Fabrique and the theater group Kill Ta Peur, which offered a contemporary art performance. […] All these performances and interventions took place exclusively as part of the launch party and were aimed at an informed audience. They should represent the artistic diversity of this community.
The One of a Kind exhibition is intended for an adult audience and we recommend that under 14s be accompanied by an adult. For this purpose, a warning appears at the entrance to the room. Nudity has always been an everyday thing in art and it is important to consider the contexts and the approach of the artists. »
Except that the museum’s Facebook page doesn’t say “for the informed public”! How many parents who took their kid to the opening of a cool exhibit at the museum expected to see a naked man yelling at white privilege?
Admit your mistakes!
On QUB radio, I asked the museum’s director if we would be taught a lesson at the unique exhibit.
” No way ! he replied.
However, here’s what you can read in the official guide to the show, available online.
“No one chooses their assigned gender at birth, whether they are cisgender or transgender. When a person is born, the social and medical system classifies them into one of two binary categories: “male” or “female”.
Cisnormativity contributes to the invisibility of trans and nonbinary people. This attitude is part of a system of cissexism: discriminatory behaviors and actions that harm trans and non-binary people.
It is about the “systemic violence” experienced by trans and non-binary people.
We receive instructions: “Fill in your mistakes and listen to constructive criticism” and “Use gender-neutral language when speaking to groups of people or when writing documents or emails.”
But the purpose of the exhibition is not at all to teach us a lesson…
