The Pimp

2017 | Taxidermy parrot, sound | 9 min 45 sec
Performer: Stephane Rives

As an animal who impersonates the soundscapes around them with often terrifying precision, the parrot is a magical being like no other in nature. A subject of much fascination over the years, the bird copies and emulates sounds under no ones control or direction, a tendency that could sometimes yield interesting, unexpected results. Here, the motionless parrot acts as a sonic sculpture, blurting out a cool saxophone tune. The artist suggests that the bird may have been living with someone who was an avid fan of pornographic films, of the kind from a bygone era of the seventies and eighties. At the time, intimate moments on film were musically accompanied by a saxophone tune that was meant to heighten the erotic senses. This sexy saxophone became a signifier and code for everything sensual in movies, and the parrot here is essentially a ventriloquist of this intimate world, an expert player of this music genre. The music is performed by the soprano saxophone musician Stephane Rives, an improvisation on erotic pornographic musical themes.


Exhibition views - The Future is Nostalgic - photos by Vartan Avakian
Exhibition views - Yassin Haute Couture, Marfa’ Gallery - photos by Mansour Dib