Eleonora Roaro, “Naked Lunch”
Single-channel video | 1’50’’ (loop)
1920×1080 HD 16:9 | Silent
Edition 3 + AP | 2015
“The title means exactly what the words say: naked lunch, a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork.”
Burroughs, William S. (2001). “Naked Lunch”. Grove Press.
In “Naked Lunch,” a reflection on eating disorders allows us to consider what nourishes and sustains us as human beings from all angles. It is a video performance in which the artist stages an imaginary meal: she eats alone without paying attention to the very act of eating, to the extent that she does not realize that the plate and glasses are empty. Many of the actions we undertake in our existence are empty and automated; we live under the illusion that what we do is nourishing and enriching us. During rare moments of clarity, we realise that our food does not exist, only to return to old habits and mental patterns. Everything repeats itself. The rewind emphasises the fictional dimension of the work and highlights the rupture of the scenic fiction.
