The Ultimate Coquette

2023
commissioned by Kunsthalle Bratislava

The Ultimate Coquette is a performance piece that explores a contemporary understanding of the gaze in the interplay between reality and digital realms. Focused on the Coquette archetype, prevalent on social media (characterized by delicate visual elements such as satin, bows, lace, and pearls), the piece analytically engages with its subgenre- Nymphet, referring to Nabokov's "Lolita" and glorification of infantility. By presenting an exaggerated, "ultimate" version of the archetype, the performance prompts contemplation on the implications of these digital representations.

"In an age where so much agency has been taken away from young adults, when they face futures saddled with debt, unable to access the basic material trappings of adulthood… a retreat into the dubious comforts of a pseudo-childhood will have its pull" - Josh Cohen