Due to the constraints of these contact ads, the women reduce themselves to one photograph which is supposed to tell the potential partner as much as possible about their personality. Because of this, these portraits are extremely emotionally, culturally, socially and politically charged. Primarily they tell about the wish for love, security and a fitting partner. Furthermore they present the lifestyle, taste, preferences, ambitions, ideals, self-perception, social afilliation, level of education, personal history and the bodies of these women.
This video shows around 350 female portraits, which are presented in groups of common photographic cliches, such as “women with dogs”, “women with cars”, “women by the sea” etc. The soundtrack is a monologue about the German ideal partner, which is constructed from the Polish women’s descriptions of their ideal German partner. Two female computer voices speak this text in Polish and German. They speak equally about the stereotypes of the German husband as well as the Polish wife.
This video was developed for the exhibition: “GUTE NACHBARSCHAFT? Deutsche Motive in polnischer Gegenwartskunst / Polnische Motive in deutscher Gegenwartskunst” at Gdanska Galeria Miejska (2010) & Künstlerhaus Bethanien Berlin (2011).