The disturbing cruelty of Terre Thaemlitz’s “Deproduction”
about 56 months ago (09/22/2019)
The disturbing cruelty of Terre Thaemlitz's "Deproduction" | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Courtesy of Comatonse Recordings September 22, 2019 By Luke Macaronas (765 words, 5-minute read) Content warning: References to sexual content, situations and violence The final line of Terre Thaemlitz’s Deproduction reads: “Admit it’s killing you, and leave.” It is a neat summary of the work—a deeply nihilistic critique of contemporary family values and neo-liberal queer politics. But, as this last piece of text scrolls off the screen, it also seems like a cruel meta-comment on what the audience has just experienced. Deproduction ’s form is simple: the audience reads Thaemlitz’s writing—first a series of short anecdotes, then an essay—which is superimposed on footage and accompanied by a soundtrack.