Super Dakota

Featuring works by !Mediengruppe Bitnik, Jimmy Beauquesne, Alex Clarke, Stevie Dix, Maria Guta and Lauren Huret, Jeanne Jacob, Danica Lundy, STURTEVANT, Anna Uddenberg, Steven Parrino, Julia Wachtel, “Tainted Love” is a collective exhibition that delves into the intricate subject of love, providing an exploration of its dissemination through modern culture. Drawing inspiration from Alex Coles’s essay «Tainted Love – From Nina Simone to Kendrick Lamar», this exhibition adopts its title from Soft Cell’s rendition of the 1965 Gloria Jones track, which gained widespread popularity in the 80s during the HIV crisis. Coles’s insightful inquiry into the twisted romantic ballad reflects on both its historical roots and modern relevance, serving as a guiding force, together with Bell Hooks’ love letter “All About Love”, for exploring various forms of tainted love that remain prevalent in contemporary culture.

What better way to write about an exhibition that emerged from the contextual backdrop of Tainted Love songs than to create a text-as-song-as-press-release ?

“Love is lacking.
on political, religious, family, or romantic lives,

we’re reminded of its failure everyday.

Love is a mysterious, unreachable thing we obsess collectively about,

but we have not learnt the art of loving.

And lack of love is lethal.

Without love we’re stuck in the ways of narcissism.

And split sides of hurting people can’t surpass their egos.

Do we really know love?

Do we all understand it the same?

Each has in mind a different idea, a different life,

usually reproducing what we are taught.

The lack of a shared understanding may be why we continue to witness different versions of "Tainted Love".

Still,

Love dares us to change the way

we care for ourselves,

and break free from the echo chamber.

Tainted love songs bring to light cases of twisted relationships.

Not far from the mainstream idea of what love is:

blind, erotic, untruthful.

But I want to love wholeheartedly.

No fears.
Nurture your soul as mine broadens as well.

Look in the depths of your eyes and share everything that comes to mind.

Bell Hooks is right,
if men were socialized to desire love as much as they are taught to desire sex

we would see a cultural revolution.

On my left arm I have a small tattoo,

the word “love” written delicately.

With a little dot, like love period.
I guess when I was fifteen and I would have to choose a word I would want to look at forever

The answer to fundamental questions like how to end wars, misery, social differences

Like love period.

I was craving for that answer.

I guess so much of language is conversations,

can form bonds and associations that

hopefully will become affectionate behaviours that last for generations.”