SENSORY DEPRIVATION | JUNO CALYPSO

What does the creature immersed in water and foam in the embrace of a heart-shaped whirlpool bath think about?
Juno Calypso (London, 1989) constructs here one of her most compelling sets within the context of a real honeymoon hotel, where her alter ego Joyce moves and inhabits the space as a solitary presence. Vintage pink hues, mirrors, lingerie—everything works together to portray a stereotypical image of femininity and the feminine. Yet, behind the carefully crafted pop atmosphere, a set within a set, lie less comfortable details that sow seeds of doubt.
What do we see, then? What is the discordant note in this polyphony of images? The protagonist does not occupy the mirrors; on the contrary, she avoids the exponential repetition of her reflection. She does not engage in dialogue with herself, nor with another half (of the apple?). She lies alone, curled up in a posture of retreat and self-protection.

At the center of the scene is that heart, reimagined in the silhouette and shapes that emerge from the water, from the foam, like a fairytale mermaid. The overhead shot imposes a gaze and asserts itself: Joyce-Juno is compressed, if not overwhelmed, by roles and conventions designed by others, and she attempts to resist them, holding them at bay with the weapon of irony.
There is a smile—bitter, but still a smile—that comes naturally when imagining the people, gestures, stories, poses, expectations, and illusions that inhabit that symbolic heart, as real as it is metaphorical.

Juno Calypso
Sensory Deprivation, 2016
From the series “The Honeymoon”
Courtesy the artist

30/11/24