(too) Close for Comfort

At what point does intimacy become intrusive?
When does desire become fetishisation? When is closeness too close?
Where do the lines blur and misunderstandings arise?…
and how does race play into this?

While working on this piece I was confronted with themes around fetishisation of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. 
Even in consensual, intimate relationships it’s important to reflect on the questions above.

So far the feedback on this piece can be summarised in two ways:
Most white women I’ve spoken with view the piece as sensual, beautiful, erotic.
Most Black men and women I’ve spoken with feel discomfort when viewing the piece. For them, themes of racism, intrusiveness and fetishisation came up.
As a white woman I felt very uncomfortable painting this piece as I was reflecting on the same notions.

• Künstlername | artist name: Anne Bengard
• Vorname | First Name: Anne
• Nachname | Last Name: Bengard
• Email address: annebengard@gmail.com
• Mobile phone: +4915223099326
• Website URL: https://www.annebenagrd.com
• Instagram URL: https://www.instagram.com/anne_bengard_art
• Address Line 1: Anne Bengard
• Address Line 2: Grunewaldstraße 15
• City: 10823
• Zip Code: Berlin
• Country: Germany
• State: berlin
• Portraitbild | Portrait picture:
• Fotocredit | Photocredit: Petra-W.-Barathowa-@pwb-fotografie.de
• Künstler-CV | Artist Bio:

  Education:
  2007-2010: BA (hons) Performance Design and Practice (2:1), Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London

  Selected Group exhibitions:
  2023
  ‘ambivalent’ | Not A Gallery, Berlin
  Schöneberg Artists | The Ballery, Berlin

  2022
  Metawalls Berlin | The Embassy/Decentraland, Online
  Gekaufte Liebe | Not A Gallery, Berlin

  2021
  ‘Faces of Depth’ | Retramp Gallery, Berlin
  Berlin Mural Festival
  Game Over | Berlin
  ‘Fetish’ | The Ballery, Berlin
  ‘Art Safari’ | Kliemannsland, Elsdorf
  Stroke Art Fair, Munich
  ‘Mondo Bizzaro’ | Alte Münze, Berlin

  2020
  Future Binkhorst - VR painting installation | Trefpunt Rotterdamsebaan, The Hague, The Netherlands
  Spotlight on Anne Bengard | Sammlung Seibert, Berlin

  2019
  Modern Panic | Truman Brewery, London, UK
  Parkhaus Neukölln, Berlin
  Fabifa/Anne Bengard’s Praxis | Oberschöneweide, Berlin
  Fabifa/Anne Bengard | Bar Eigengrau, Berlin
  Light Noise Art | Zwei Drei Raum, Berlin

  2018
  Monumenta, Leipzig
  Berlin Mural Festival, Berlin
  Wandelism, Berlin
  Helmets for Habitat | Microsoft flagship store NYC

  2017
  WE ARE PART OF CULTURE, with 100% Mensch Hauptbahnhof and travelling to 20 major train stations around Germany
  THE HAUS | Berlin Art Bang, Berlin
  Enter Art Foundation, 50 Contemporary Artists | Berlin
  Take Over | Nau Bostik, Barcelona


  2016
  ‘Monster Madness’ | Slushbox Gallery, Florida, USA
  ‘Stopjectify’ | Gallery Different, London, UK

  2014
  Modern Panic VI | Apiary Studios, London, UK

  Statement:

  Anne’s work deals with issues around connection, intimacy and fetishisation, understanding the term ‘fetish’ in the context of behaviour, devotion, obsession and consumption.
Often borderline voyeuristic, her visual language uses polarities to explore social norms, stereotypes and aims to create a sense of tension and sensuality.
  Her works ask questions rather than make statements, often probing the subconscious.
Anne studied Performance Design and Practice at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London. She is a self taught painter influenced by 90s anime and old master paintings and pop surrealism. She can hold her breath for 5 minutes.

• Ich bin durch eine Galerie vertreten | I am represented by a gallery : Nein | No
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