Have you seen this video of a naked guy showing his penis in front of children at the Musée de la civilization in Quebec?
Don’t be offended, the museum tells us!
It’s a “contemporary art performance”!
MUSEUM OF DECIVILIZATION
The video, filmed by Rebel News Quebec, has circulated widely. It shows a man wrapped in Saran Wrap. Two people armed with scissors cut the film then cut his underpants to reveal his penis.
The bearded artist then puts on a dress and high heels, switching from one “gender” to another.
You can clearly see several young children in the audience covering their eyes.
During the performance, the man declaims in a theatrical tone: “Because a black trans woman preceded my path, I can emancipate myself tonight at the museum. My skin is plexiglass. See you in the mirror. Removed all classes. White skin, white skin. Immaculate. Privileged white skin. Are you afraid to think about it?”
Here is the explanation sent to me by Anne-Sophie Desmeules, the museum’s press relations officer: “During the inauguration evening of the exhibition One of a kindseveral artists have been invited to perform, including Barbada, the circus company Flip Fabrique and the theater company Kill Ta Peur, which offered a performance of contemporary art. […] All these performances and interventions took place exclusively within the framework of the launch party and were aimed at an informed public. They were intended to represent the artistic diversity of this community.
Screenshot Rebel News Quebec
The exhibition One of a kind is aimed at an adult audience and we recommend that young people under the age of 14 be accompanied by an adult. To this effect, a warning notice appears at the entrance to the room. Nudity has always been a common thing in art and it is important to take into account the contexts and the approach of the artists.
Except that on the museum’s Facebook page, nothing says “for informed public”! How many parents who took their child to the opening of a cool exhibit at the museum expected to see a naked man yelling at white privilege?
ADMIT YOUR MISTAKES!
At QUB radio, I asked the director of the museum if in the exhibition One of a kindwe were going to be taught a lesson.
“Not at all!” he replied.
However, here is what you can read in the official guide to the expo, available online.
“No one chooses their assigned sex at birth, whether they are cisgender or transgender. When a person is born, the social and medical system classifies them into one of two binary categories: “male” or “female”.
- Listen to the interview with Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec on Sophie Durocher’s show via QUB-radio :
Cisnormativity contributes to the invisibilization of trans and non-binary people. This attitude is part of a system of cissexism: discriminatory behaviors and actions that harm trans and non-binary people.
It talks about the “systemic violence” experienced by trans and non-binary people.
We are given orders: “Admit your mistakes and listen to constructive criticism” and “Use gender-neutral language when speaking to groups of people or when writing documents or emails”.
But the purpose of the exhibition is not AT ALL to teach us a lesson…