Pixy Liao – Experimental Relationship
“My photos explore the alternative possibilities of heterosexual relationships. They question what is the norm of heterosexual relationships. What will happen if man & woman exchange their roles of sex & roles of power?” Liao ( 2017)
Artist Pixy Liao’s Experimental Relationship challenges the concept of dynamics in a heteronormative relationship. Stemming from an image taken for her coursework at university of her partner Moro crumpled up naked in a suitcase. The image provoked a reaction of “how could you treat him like that” reactions from her classmates, which led to her developing the project to probe the general ideology of the roles of men and women in a relationship.
Liao’s Experimental Relationship interested me because of the tenderness on display between Liao and he partner. Despite there being a very clear image of Liao’s domination over her partner in her work, there is humour and warmth in their relationship.
In her image Relationships Work Best When Each Partner Knows Their Place you have Liao pinching Moro’s nipple which in turn connects to Moro squeezing the shutter cable release for the image. This image is inspired by the painting Gabrielle d’Estrées et une de ses soeurs, a painting widely interpreted as the announcement of Gabrielle’s pregnancy with the illegitimate child off Henry IV. In Liao’s image the child is the photograph, the ring is the shutter release and Liao is the pincher. There is also visualisation of the chain of command in Liao’s image; from Liao looking into the camera, pinching Moro’s nipple, him looking at her and squeezing the shutter release, once again affirming her power over her partner Moro.
Experimental Relationship’s portrayal of intimacy and vulnerability is important for me in the depiction of relationships, as my relationship with my partner deviates from the outdated and stereotypical expectations that come with a heteronormative relationship. My Partner is the breadwinner in the relationship, she is a dominant force in her work life and not submissive at all. Our relationship is based on respect for each other and it is important for me to present that in my work.
The visualisation of power in relationships is something I have been careful with in my project Darling, whilst the work is collaboration I am aware that the collaboration is operating through my lens and my visual language, even the assembly of the images for the book can shape the narrative of the relationship. In order to maintain a balance in the work I asked my partner to contribute poetry about the relationship, we also discuss her performance and her portraits that make her visualisation in the project. The perspective this brings to Darling is instrumental in grounding the work from both sides.
References
http://pixyliao.com/experimental-relationship
Relationships work best when each partner knows their proper place © Pixy Liao
CRJ 