In the spring of 2020, Marres and Stichting Nieuwe Helden will present an ode to erotic fantasies with the exhibition Yes, Please!
In 1973, Nancy Friday published the groundbreaking report My Secret Garden, in which she published interviews with women about their sexual fantasies. The book caused a lot of commotion, which was perhaps partly due to the fact that the sexual fantasy was often seen as something specifically connected to the male gender. Almost 50 years later it seems that, thanks to the internet and rise of accessible pornography, the taboo on sexual fantasy and a clear stance on preferences has fallen. The media, however, only pay attention to the matter very sporadically.
A year and a half ago, the team of the multidisciplinary theatre company De Nieuwe Helden started an investigation regarding modern sexual fantasies. They travelled to different festivals, in their caravan named Bolleke (which is radio equipped), to interview hundreds of people. The outcomes of the interviews offer a rare insight in the modern sexual fantasies. They show the extents of the human imagination, but also the way in which it sometimes mismatches the social norms.
For this exhibition, Marres will be transformed into a house of senses in which visitors, accompanied by hosts and provided with menus with various sexual fantasies, can come and listen to the recorded erotic interviews. The exhibition was designed by theatrical producer Lucas de Man, designer Pascal Leboucq and musician and sound artist Marc Alberto.
Bolleke
In order to collect erotic fantasies, the Nieuwe Helden Foundation tours along Dutch festivals with their caravan named Bolleke. Bolleke is equipped with audio equipment and festival-goers are asked to share their erotic fantasy within its four walls. All these fantasies are stored in a large database which eventually forms the basis for the exhibition Yes, Please! which opens in March 2020 in Marres Maastricht.
In collaboration with
