Pose Dia

Helena Ratka’s commissioned work for Pop-Kultur explores how film and performance can be used to bridge the gap between audience and artists, which has particularly widened since the beginning of the pandemic. At the intersection of classic music video, concert and streaming will emerge a hybrid, live video performance, turning the structure of time and space upside-down and opening up a new realm of possibility. Particular attention is paid to costume as an element of the performance: inspired by the likes of Grace Jones and Róisín Murphy, the member of Shari Vari under the pseudonym Pose Dia will change outfits onstage, making transparent her artistic process of transformation. Besides questioning the narrative presentation of traditional stage shows, she also focusses on the literally multi-layered symbolism of clothing in pop culture, exploring how it serves as camouflage as well as its political implications.

Credits: Helena Ratka (concept, music & performance), Alexander Trattler / Elektropastete (video & live visuals), Gloria Brillowska (costume), Julia Lohmann (photography)

Supported by the Dorit & Alexander Otto Foundation.