Luka Jee de Boer

I have never had a boyfriend and it’s something that I have wanted for as long as I can remember. In ‘Love Takes Months of Sanding Floors’ I explore the longing for connection in contemporary society. Which demands us to improve ourselves constantly in performing, accelerating and optimizing our actions.

The project derives from personal experiences, imaginations and expectations. In a way, I approached this project in the same way I approach love. I have spent most of the time projecting my expectations onto others, feeling disappointed every time because those expectations weren’t met. I was unable to recreate the ideas I had of romantic love, because they never felt sincere. But sincerity is not to be found in expecting something perfect.

In the work, a two-channel video installation and a publication, I attempt to highlight this process, and give it a pedestal, rather than ignoring it and aiming for this ‘perfection’. The video installation involves several vulnerable performances and creates a space that demands my audience to pay attention. It might even create a slight discomfort, because it is far from perfect and that is exactly how it should be. It demands a slowness, if we slow down, and embrace the mundane, we can invite love (back) into our lives.