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Wallinger’s piece responds to the myth of Diana and Actaeon, in which the hunter Actaeon accidentally stumbles upon the pure and beautiful goddess Diana while bathing. Displeased by this uninvited voyeurism and eager for revenge, Diana turns Actaeon into a stag and he is soon eaten by his own dogs. The paintings were so risqué in the 16th century they had to be covered by a curtain in the presence of ladies, but today they would probably fail to make a child blush. That is where Wallinger comes in. The ideas of privacy and voyeurism are revived in a contemporary setting through a live performance which makes every visitor guilty of Actaeon’s voyeuristic habit. Viewers spy into a modern bathroom through cloudy keyholes or Venetian blinds, watching Diana brush her hair, get in the bath, and act “goddess-ish,” the artist told the Times of India. Six women, all named Diana in real life, alternate playing the role of Diana in art, switching off every two hours. Mark Wallinger’s ‘Diana’ Invites Museum Patrons To Spy On Naked Women In Bathroom

Wallinger’s piece responds to the myth of Diana and Actaeon, in which the hunter Actaeon accidentally stumbles upon the pure and beautiful goddess Diana while bathing. Displeased by this uninvited voyeurism and eager for revenge, Diana turns Actaeon into a stag and he is soon eaten by his own dogs. The paintings were so risqué in the 16th century they had to be covered by a curtain in the presence of ladies, but today they would probably fail to make a child blush. That is where Wallinger comes in.

The ideas of privacy and voyeurism are revived in a contemporary setting through a live performance which makes every visitor guilty of Actaeon’s voyeuristic habit. Viewers spy into a modern bathroom through cloudy keyholes or Venetian blinds, watching Diana brush her hair, get in the bath, and act “goddess-ish,” the artist told the Times of India. Six women, all named Diana in real life, alternate playing the role of Diana in art, switching off every two hours.

Mark Wallinger’s ‘Diana’ Invites Museum Patrons To Spy On Naked Women In Bathroom

  1. problemsolver reblogged this from huffingtonpost
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  3. livloving reblogged this from huffingtonpost and added:
    This is great, and makes me wonder why more performance artists don’t incorporate mythology. I’m planning on making it...
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