Woman kicks man’s ass. To me it would seem more natural with the roles turned around, a man punching a woman. Then I would sympathize with the woman. I would probably see the video as an image of women’s relation to men in general. I can easily sympathize with the woman when she’s the one wearing the boxing gloves. With the woman fighting it’s so obvious to me, as a man, how lonesome her struggle is. She doesn’t let the man in.

This is not the picture of a relationship, rather it reflects the fight of a single individual.

I’ve always believed that the relationship between man and woman in our society was the concern of both. Why does it seem so clear to me in this case, that it’s all about one individual woman struggling with herself. Is this the kind of one-sided struggle that patriarchy is built to hold and maintain?

The woman spends all her energy on her fight. What happens to the man - nothing? There is no room left for him. And in our society-where is the deliverance of women made passive by someone else’s fight. Men struggling, leaving no room for women. What happens to women-nothing? Should you implode or explode?

It’s a man’s world, in which both men and women live. But society is no relationship - it’s a one-sided struggle for survival and self-development - man against nature - men against women!
(P. Hollender 1997.)

This text become a part of the piece, there's a copy of the text for each visitor.

Read more about the piece in a text by Francesco Bonami " the king is not the queen ", a group exhibition at the Nordic Museum, Stockholm. 16/1-17/2 -98. Don´t be stupid was also screened in the UK 96-97, see CV.