APHRODISIACS UPDATED

a slow dating event hosted during the exhibition 𝙄𝙣 π™‡π™€π™«π™š ;* curated by Paloma Ayala and tracy september at Les Complices*, ZΓΌrich, 2024.

This slow dating event was based on Audre Lorde expanded definition of the erotic – a life force that can animate every aspect of our lives by putting us in contact with the untapped energy that comes from a bodily awareness of our capacity for joy, that lets us lead fuller and richer lives by connecting with our own joy and sharing that emotion with others.

A South East Asian meal of vegan rendang was served, together with tumeric rice and Nonya achar, a labour of love that is not just mine. It was infused with the care that I put into cooking it and steeped with the tweaks and the tips that have traversed the webs of relationships that connect these recipes to their associated memories of taste. Guiding questions and prompts about food, sex, relationships, desire, empowerment, etc were placed on the table to help lubricate conversation, and diners were invited to trust themselves and each other, to expose themselves, to be vulnerable, in order to make a connection with the fellow humans at their table.



Photos: Kay Zhang