Che Vuoi
Che Vuoi
video, 5 minutes
2010
“Che vuoi” means “What do you want?” It is a Lacanian concept that relates to the “enigma of the impenetrable desire of the Other.” Desire is never the subject’s own, but stems from the other’s desire. It is “what do others want from me?”, “what do they see in me?” But even the other also doesn’t know what s/he really wants, the unconscious is driven by what this other thinks an other wants, and this continues ad infinitum. Desire is like a contagion that is passed on from one generation to the next. The “Other” can also be a “transcendental” Other, an unknowable force that seems to run the universe. What does this big Other want?
This work was commissioned by Jesse Birch for the exhibition “We Want Something From You,” Galerie Sans Nom, Moncton, NB
