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Cheryl Donegan's short, provocative tapes humorously present the themes of voyeurism, sex and eroticism which are so popular, particularly in the United States. Donovan does a performance in both 'Head' and 'GracefulPhatSheba' (1993). The tapes are a documentation of that, without any additions or extras. It is particularly the dryness and the clarity that give them their power. In 'Head', Donovan executes an erotic game with a plastic jerry can to a background of heavy pop music. A hard jet of milk spurts out of the can which Donovan adroitly catches in her mouth and then spits some back into the bottle. At first, these actions are controlled but she gradually loses her control of the liquid and gets steadily more 'excited'. The erotic game gets heavier and degenerates into chaos until the milk is finished. Colour and lighting play an important role. The hard green of the bottle makes a sharp contrast with Donovan's blue top against the pink background. Add to that the white liquid and it certainly looks as though Donovan really meant to make an aesthetic statement. The parallel with action painting is particularly clear when the milk, at one point, gets squirted against the wall. Something that seems to be spontaneous and emotional, proves, like the love play, to be calculated and cool.
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Ingrid van Santen
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