The sculpture, which also features in the photograph The Parable of the Blessed and Cursed, is inspired by the mythological figure of the satyr. The satyr is part of the entourage of Dionysus, God of wine and ecstasy, and often represents unbridled lust. He embodies the perceived ‘Other’ and symbolises the categorisation of homosexuals as people who cannot control their urges. The mask is a depiction of Fleischer’s own head, thereby making their own personality part of the work.

Text by Johanna Engemann