Baptist Coelho (India)
biography
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[flvgallery video=”http://video.newmediaserver.org/2009/08/coelho.flv” title=”view video” thumbnail=”http://video.newmediaserver.org/2009/08/img/coelho.jpg” width=”480″ height=”360″]
Title: Crosslegged
2008, 1:00
Exploring cultural differences within sub-cultures where the subtle nuances of body language can be read as the ‘other’. I set the stage in an office reception area and re-enacts a true story of a man who experiences discrimination based on a simple act of crossing his legs. A harmless natural gesture, yet its social meaning makes it submissive and feminine, bringing out deep-rooted prejudice against sexuality. I have drawn inspiration from the photographer, Jeff Wall, who understood that gestures which seem to be automatic and mechanical dwell deeply somewhere social.