PREYER HD video, sound, 06’09’’

Borders Are Nocturnal Animals  Palais de Tokyo, Paris FR

2024

Curators: Neringa Bumblienė and Émilie Villez

Click on the image or press <— / —>

The video work was conceived as a part of a larger series by the artist, inspired by the questions related to DIY — as both a sphere of vernacular creativity and a survival strategy, as well as a model for retail empires around the world such as Home Depot, Bauhaus, or Bricorama. Sosunova explores a local success story through the case of Senukai, Lithuania’s largest chain of hardware stores. Preyer, a fan video filmed on a thermal imaging camera, a technology commonly used in house renovation, hunting as well as military purposes, is starring a pole dancer A10 who performs a devotional dance and sings a ‘prayer’ song, which becomes part of the Senukai hardware store fandom universe. Founded in 1992, only a couple of years after Lithuania regained its independence, the chain’s founding and expansion coincided with the transitional period that saw the collapsed socialist system give way to a nascent liberal economy, with its hitherto unimaginable promises of unlimited freedom of expression and eternal growth. The chain’s founder later expanded into ventures including a radio station, shopping centres and spa complexes, and even his own religion. Sacred texts, sermons and religious symbols were embedded into the logos and the architectural details of these businesses. This uncanny overlap between commerce and a personal belief system is reflected in Sosunova’s work, which weaves together DIY lore and an eerie, poetic language of devotion, erotica, and melancholia.

Photo: Aurélien Mole