L.A. Raeven Sibling Rivalry, 2004 Video still from Sibling Rivalry, 2004 Sibling Rivalry , 2004 The inspiration for this new work is partly based on the book 'Hell' from Lolita Pile that deals about the empty life of super rich girls in Paris. Like the character in the book, the two sisters in 'Sibling Rivalry' are very rich, pretty and live an 'empty' life spending their nights dressed in designer clothes wandering around the most expensive nightclubs and hotels of the city. The food they order in restaurants is left untouched as they prefer to spent as much money shopping and drinking in a week as other people earn in a month without even enjoying it. But most importantly they profoundly despise other people who live a 'normal' life without ever having been anywhere themselves. They are both extremely bored. Deep down, they are angry with themselves that they can't escape their state of malformed materialism, a life without desire and monotony where every day resembles the day before. Although they have all the luxury they possibly could have with even being so pretty they are not satisfied. The more they have had the more unsatisfied they become. (This stresses the work’s underlying protest against luxury and materialism for the competition it evokes between people). The title 'Sibling Rivalry' points to the rivalry between sisters: As they grow up during childhood they urn a position as the 'eldest', the 'middle one' or the 'youngest’. This happens when negative sides of one are mirrored to the other sisters' positive sides. This evokes anger and frustration especially at a very young age where fighting and pulling each other’s hair are quite common excesses. These childish reactions are used in the film to stress the desperate, hopeless situation the two girls are in. They become children in a woman's adult body and their situation returns them to their childhood where they didn't have to behave and obey the rules of adult life and society where one has to be perfect and successful. The fact that there are no limitation in what they can afford financially promotes their need to achieve unreasonable ideals which makes them the ultimate victims of fashion and media tactics. Biography Coming from various educational background: Liesbeth studied and worked as a nurse, followed by an education at the H.K.U School of Arts in Utrecht, a working period with P.L. Di Corcia, Nan Goldin and Orlan, Angelique went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, was the assitant of Jean Paul Gaultier, and both studied at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, they are working together since 1999. The works haven been shown world wide and was included in exhibitions such as: La Ville, Le Jardin, La Memoire, Villa Medici, Rome, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Laurence Bosse (2000), Prodigal Prodigy, White Box , New York (cat.) curated by Theo Tegelaers, 4FREE, Büro Friedrich, Berlin (group show) curated by Waling Boers (2001), Ludwig Museum, Budapest (project room) (2002), Disturbance, curated by Helena Kontova, Prague Biennale, National Gallery Prague, and at Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (2004). |
