“You can do absolutely anything you want, and it’s pretty rare to find that at Montreal parties,” says Ariana Molly, photographer, filmmaker and co-founder of Cinema Erotica during an interview in a confidential bar, where resonates the very symbolic song Blue Velvet, by Bobby Vinton.
While some may be intimidated by the concept of these evenings at the cinema L’Amour amalgamating the screening of an erotic film, sets of DJs and artistic performances, the artist wants to be reassuring, inclusive. “It’s an accessible place where everyone, regardless of their community, can feel in their element while stepping out of their comfort zone. It’s gratifying,” she says. His collaborator and friend, the multidisciplinary artist Veronika Yemelyanova, adds: “the poster of the event gives an overview of what to expect, how to present yourself to others during the evening”. Featuring a carnivorous plant, it indeed sets the tone for what will be the fourth edition of VSinema Erotica.
“Each new film we select is an opportunity to do something completely different,” says Ariana Molly. This time it’s Mistress, by Barbet Schroeder, which piqued the curiosity of the duo. “This is a work from the 1970s that took five years to get authorized. It was destabilizing and unique for the time, and especially for the general public, because the scenes of BDSM are not simulated”, she continues. As for the DJs, Via App, Venus in Foil and Meen Moreen, they have been carefully chosen, both locally and internationally, to reflect the spirit of the film.
Ariana Molly and Veronika Yemelyanova’s desire is to merge their own visions of Cinema Erotica and to make the senses collide in the same space, and the place chosen to host their very young initiative is unparalleled… “Cinema L Love has a very particular, authentic energy. People are usually very surprised the first time they step inside and realize that it’s been beautifully preserved since the 1920s,” says Ariana Molly. His accomplice believes for his part that the contrast between Cinema Erotica and the emblematic institution of the boulevard Saint-Laurent intrigues, attracts. “The success of conceptual projects is greater when places and activities are not intended for each other from a conventional point of view,” says Veronika Yemelyanova.
The genesis of a desire
When they remember the original Cinema Erotica, Veronika Yemelyanova and Ariana Molly confide in having surprised more than one. “When we announced to the owners of the L’Amour cinema that their room was going to be transformed into a dance floor, they really wondered how that was going to be possible. In the end, everything happened very naturally, ”explains the second, who adds that everything came together organically during this first evening of April 2022.
At that moment, no one suspected and dared to imagine, perhaps, that this Cinema Erotica 001 was going to become a series of events. “Our little fantasy was simply to be able to show the film I made, Vain, at the L’Amour cinema, and to organize a fundraiser for Ukraine [à qui la Russie venait de déclarer la guerre]because Veronika is from kyiv, ”recalls Ariana Molly.
The planets and stars then quickly aligned. Last October’s evening far exceeded all expectations, thanks in particular to the set of Montreal headliner Marie Davidson and the invitation to the public to wear red. “That’s when we realized that Cinema Erotica had explosive potential and that we could dream big,” observes its co-founder.
For Cinema Erotica 004, the pair continue with passion their visual exploration of a singular aesthetic and philosophy, intended for several hundred people per edition. “I don’t want Cinema Erotica to be seen as pornography,” explains Veronika Yemelyanova. We rather want to go beyond, to sow the seeds of doubt, to make the participants wonder. According to the one who likes to use satire in her artistic approach, sexuality is apprehended in the same way as a provocation. “It was never about sexuality exclusively, but there is a lot to explore in a context where a specific culture is fully integrated into my approach,” she points out.
To heighten the tension and maintain the sensual and unusual character of Cinema Erotica, Veronika Yemelyanova and Ariana Molly bet on rarity. “We wouldn’t like the experience to be too frequent,” they both warn. Since the unknown is often as scary as it is intoxicating, the two are suitable for everyone to join the adventure. “Everything is valid and welcome, without restriction, only consent is non-negotiable. We want everyone to have fun and enjoy these few nights,” admits label-free Ariana Molly.