ONANIST_01

ONANIST - Modern Connotation: In contemporary usage, “Onanist” refers to someone who engages in masturbation, but it can also carry metaphorical meanings, such as self-indulgence or self-obsession.

ONANIST_01 delves into the performative dynamics of beauty, desire, and exclusion as they manifest in both LGBTQ subcultures and the gallery system. It examines how the relentless pursuit of an “ideal”—whether the flawless body or exclusive artwork—transforms into a mechanism of fetishization. This obsession with perfection reinforces unattainable standards and sustains systems of exclusion, where value is determined by conformity to narrow, hierarchical ideals. The piece parallels the commodification of the desirable body and the art world’s fixation on rarity and elitism.