Benjamin Ramírez Pérez

A 1970s film classic meets Beyoncé, the pop diva of the 21^st century. In Embellishments, scenes from John Cassavetes’ thriller The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) are cut together with excerpts from Beyoncé’s live performances of her song »Drunk in Love«. In this way, Benjamin Ramírez Pérez creates a symbiosis between the two elements. The film shows a nightclub after closing, lit in red; in the background, we hear Beyoncé’s song. On a stage, made up to resemble the setting of Cassavetes’ film, the performer Liad Hussein Kantorowicz appears in a blonde wig and bright makeup and begins mimicking Beyoncé’s dance routine. The music repeatedly goes silent throughout the performance, but the performer continues unabated. She dances around a chair, striking provocative poses and making evocative movements, putting herself on display.

The camera catches every movement, moving in close between her legs and on her backside. The poses and gestures of Beyoncé’s live performance gradually merge with the erotic cabaret setting of Cassavetes’ film. Ramírez Pérez mixes pop music performance with cabaret to demonstrate that the two are not so very different from one another. You could even argue that Beyoncé is more provocative than the dancer from Cassavetes’ film. Why are some displays of female sexuality tolerated, while others are marginalized and stigmatized as part of the sex industry? (Alina Di Buó)