Urine Mate II

”There is an absolutely gorgeous opening shot in a George Michael video, showing him in a public toilet for men. The urinals spin around and we see a group of women, men and cross-dressers having a blast in the toilets”. Aline Bouvy, 2022.

Urine Mate is a series in which Aline Bouvy questions the representation of the naked male within the prevailing patriarchal system. In Urine Mate 2 we see a crouching, naked body, partially hidden by wildflowers. The body is deliberately depicted as non-binary and entangled in weeds, referring to "undesirable species".

Like Strategy of Non-Cooperation VI, the work evokes cruising, hanging around public places looking for casual sex. Through flowers that spill over the edges of the frame, Aline Bouvy pollinates the exhibition space with her non-conformist ideas. By creating spaces of possibilities that are open to everyone, she refers to Cruising Utopia by the queer theorist José Esteban Muñoz. In this book, Muñoz advocates utopian ideas to transcend heteronormativity and radically change the world.

Bouvy also distinguishes herself in her choice of materials, for example linoleum, a cheap flooring material. In doing so, Urine Mate 2 combines art and interior design while challenging traditional notions of "good taste".