I'm Tired of Being Fucked (2011).
Laura Paolini
Written by Gwendolyn Bieniara
Situated on a low-rising plinth, two toy rabbits, a plush faux-fur and an inflatable cartoon-like rabbit,
are engaged in simulated coitus. Powered by an Arduino board and an air pump, the faux-fur
mechanized rabbit cycles through several motions of humping against the inflatable bunny as it
deflates. After approximately five seconds the active rabbit stops as the passive bunny continues to
deflate. Intended to articulate the negative features of the creative process, Laura Paolini's rabbits
reveal a consequential multitude of meaning.
Paolini rabbits are a pastiche of referential concepts that work together to articulate the futility of achieving an ultimate ideal. First, the rabbit acts as a reference point to Jeff Koons. The iconography he uses is sought to highlight the ubiquity of mass-produced objects and their contributions to the banality of modern life. As an artist who works to re-contextualize found objects, there is little room for true ownership over these objects, as exemplified in his numerous plagiarism lawsuits as both plaintiff and defendant. For Paolini, Koon's struggle for ownership is translated into the impossible pursuit of an ultimate ideal. It is a futile endeavor that can and will never be achieved.
I'm Tired of Being Fucked is not a work about sexuality or gender, but contains a fascinating amount of sexual meaning worth considering. Upon first glance both rabbits are seemingly ungendered, but have been situated in such a way that draws a very clear line towards heteronormative sexuality,
where female and male are given definition by their respective physical positions. In addition to this, in a state of passivity, the inflatable rabbit is almost appearing to be forced against its will to be humped by the active furry rabbit.
If the rabbits represent both a reference to Koons and a loss of innocence, it is their automated choreography that articulates the work's goal. As the active rabbit humps, a gesture for pursuit, the passive rabbit deflates, a gesture of loss and failure. The cartoon rabbit, in its pathetic deflated state
stands for the loss of innocence and the impossibility of reaching the idealized ultimate goal. As the automated cycle begins and the inflatable rabbit is re-inflated, the active furry rabbit begins to hump in vain, only to experience the same result again and again. The goal is never actualized and remains
only as an unsatiated need.
The impact of Paolini’s rabbits form in the feelings derived when we watch the deflation. Nothing is ever achieved. The pursuit of something is stuck inside of an impenetrable and inflated toy rabbit feedback loop. Does this mean Paolini a pessimist or just pragmatically realistic? While common
sense tells us that perfection is impossible, so many of us strive for it. And like that furry bunny, we're programmed to keep going.
Written by Gwendolyn Bieniara
Situated on a low-rising plinth, two toy rabbits, a plush faux-fur and an inflatable cartoon-like rabbit,
are engaged in simulated coitus. Powered by an Arduino board and an air pump, the faux-fur
mechanized rabbit cycles through several motions of humping against the inflatable bunny as it
deflates. After approximately five seconds the active rabbit stops as the passive bunny continues to
deflate. Intended to articulate the negative features of the creative process, Laura Paolini's rabbits
reveal a consequential multitude of meaning.
Paolini rabbits are a pastiche of referential concepts that work together to articulate the futility of achieving an ultimate ideal. First, the rabbit acts as a reference point to Jeff Koons. The iconography he uses is sought to highlight the ubiquity of mass-produced objects and their contributions to the banality of modern life. As an artist who works to re-contextualize found objects, there is little room for true ownership over these objects, as exemplified in his numerous plagiarism lawsuits as both plaintiff and defendant. For Paolini, Koon's struggle for ownership is translated into the impossible pursuit of an ultimate ideal. It is a futile endeavor that can and will never be achieved.
I'm Tired of Being Fucked is not a work about sexuality or gender, but contains a fascinating amount of sexual meaning worth considering. Upon first glance both rabbits are seemingly ungendered, but have been situated in such a way that draws a very clear line towards heteronormative sexuality,
where female and male are given definition by their respective physical positions. In addition to this, in a state of passivity, the inflatable rabbit is almost appearing to be forced against its will to be humped by the active furry rabbit.
If the rabbits represent both a reference to Koons and a loss of innocence, it is their automated choreography that articulates the work's goal. As the active rabbit humps, a gesture for pursuit, the passive rabbit deflates, a gesture of loss and failure. The cartoon rabbit, in its pathetic deflated state
stands for the loss of innocence and the impossibility of reaching the idealized ultimate goal. As the automated cycle begins and the inflatable rabbit is re-inflated, the active furry rabbit begins to hump in vain, only to experience the same result again and again. The goal is never actualized and remains
only as an unsatiated need.
The impact of Paolini’s rabbits form in the feelings derived when we watch the deflation. Nothing is ever achieved. The pursuit of something is stuck inside of an impenetrable and inflated toy rabbit feedback loop. Does this mean Paolini a pessimist or just pragmatically realistic? While common
sense tells us that perfection is impossible, so many of us strive for it. And like that furry bunny, we're programmed to keep going.
