When The Body Says Yes

The main work, When the body says Yes, is a sensual and immersive video installation that explores touch and proximity as a counterforce to what bonajo describes as a modern epidemic of loneliness. The work was produced as the Netherlands’ official contribution to the 2022 Venice Biennale, commissioned by the Mondriaan Fund, and in collaboration with curators Orlando Maaike Gouwenberg, Geir Haraldseth, and Soraya Pol. The installation’s scenography was developed together with Théo Demans.

In TouchMETell (2019), bonajo invites a group of children aged six to eight to explore bodies, boundaries, and emotions through play, movement, and sensory environments. The installation highlights important conversations about physical proximity, the body’s own means of communication, and the ability to navigate boundaries in a time when digital spaces often dominate children’s everyday lives.

The video work Skinship (2021) takes the form of an alternative dating guide and examines how intimacy and relationships are created in digital environments, especially for queer people and those living outside traditional gender norms. The work combines elements from game shows, performance, and video art.

Through these three works, bonajo explores how touch, physical contact, emotions, and intimacy can serve as counterforces to a modern epidemic of loneliness. The pieces illuminate how technological and consumer-driven structures affect our ability to make connections, and show alternative ways to restore contact and belonging.

Curator for the exhibition When the body says Yes: Curator Liv Brissach

The exhibition is supported by the Mondriaan Fund.