"Central to this work is also the idea that rape is more than an unwanted sexual act, that it the foundation for the entire institution of the patriarchy, and hence it is the crucial battleground for dismantling male power. If rape is the ultimate weapon of male-domination, then anything outside of being permanently impacted by the experience, undermines male weaponry.”
There has been a new medium for art, that has been taken too far. Sophia Hewson, an artist based in New York, has recently made a video she has claimed to be a "rape representation". The video is called "Are you okay Bob?" Being filmed in New York, this artist and a "stranger" (which she invited into her house) had unsimulated sex in her home. The video is focused on her face for the three minutes with scenes of the man's hand holding Sophia's shoulder or face in gestures one might associate to sexual assault. In her film the camera is always on her face to show her reactions. Hewson has said, “The most confronting aspect of ‘Untitled (are you ok bob?),’ isn’t watching as a woman is struck or penetrated, it’s seeing her look back out at us from the experience.” Hewson wanted her audience to feel her pain, to feel like you were the one in this situation. But, the only pain this brought was the pain of survivors reliving their worst nightmare.
"are you okay bob?", came from the first words she spoke after the act was done. It was an unscripted line. Hewson stated, “My intention with this title was to reference the orchestrated nature of the event — who is using whom in this situation? — and also to highlight the way in which women are still encouraged to put others’ emotional well being before their own." When she states “who is using whom” is not something that applies to rape. The idea of women being encouraged to put others’ emotional well being before their own is in a whole other category. Besides, rape is not one gendered. Women rape just like men do. And when put in a situation like this, you are not going to be thinking about using the other person when you are the one that is the victim. That will never be an idea stuck in your head before the incident nor after. The idea of rape and what happens during is being blurred in the ideas that she has thought while making this video and maybe this is because she has never experienced this herself.
Many are not taking her work lightly. While the actual video is on display at Mars Gallery in Melbourne, Australia from May 19 through June 2, she has posted a few photos and her reasoning for the art on her Facebook page. Many have shared their views on her work by commenting. It has ranged from someone saying everyone that is not for this piece of work is stupid and does not understand the meaning of why she has made this, and others have shared their rape story. Regardless of her message, the execution of her work has proved to be very offensive to me and many other survivors . The ridicule of her work ranges from: "You have acted exactly as a rapist would. You fed off the pain of millions of victims in order to empower yourself to get notoriety”,"Rape is not an artistic medium”, and even statements such as, “You are a rapist”. The list goes on with many angry with the work she has created. She has expected criticism and has said that this is a part of the art. However, can a very detailed simulation of an act so heinous and devastating really be considered a form of art? Or does it discount the suffering of such a large group of survivors? I couldn't imagine seeing a direct representation of rape could send a positive message for those who have been fighting to overcome such a crime being committed to them, or parties that know little about the nature of rape. There has been much more effective and far less vulgar methods of sending a powerful and meaningful message about rape. An example could come from the work of Emma Sulkowicz who carried her mattress around Columbia University to get people to notice how society views rape and who gets blamed for it, which is typically the victim. She explains that her creation was an “endurance piece” and would be finished with her no longer carrying the mattress after
You shouldn't create something you yourself have not gone through. And maybe that's the moral to this story. Because this video, the video that Hewson calls art, feels to me like someone mocking those who have experienced this. There have been artist, and some not, who have found ways to speak out and get attention where there needs to be. For example, Emma Sulkowicz carried her mattress around Colombia University to get people to notice how society views rape and who gets blamed for it, which is typically the victim. But what Emma did made a lot of people think about rape culture. It became a huge statement across the country and many other girls followed in her footsteps carrying the weight of their mattress. Emma found a way to send a message out in a way that stood out to many and will never be forgotten.
When you're talking about rape, there are right and wrong ways to bring it up. It's not one of those subjects you can say anything about. But Sophia Hewson decided to make art out of it. And art is something many consider to be beautiful. But art isn't always supposed to be beautiful. While I personally may not agree with what she did and how she did it, art is supposed to be expression and in her eyes she is expressing what rape might look like to her. I do not agree with what she has done and in my eyes is something she doesn't fully have a say in. When you are a survivor, you have gone through the ups and downs that come with the aftermath of rape. You experienced something traumatic to then walk into a society that many times has turned a blind eye to. And then to come see that someone has videotaped their "representation" of rape is almost a slap in the face. It is something you don't want to relive, but seeing a video can and will trigger something inside of you.
What Hewson did was brave. She dared to do the unthinkable, something never done before. But sometimes you do need to consider the feelings of those you are representing. While it is true there are times where the hard things need to be said, there are hard things that should not be done. And creating your own imaginary rape when you have never experienced it yourself should be reconsidered. It is time that we talk about this subject matter, but it is also time that we understand the impact it has on survivors.
