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Beluga Burlesque
Press Image, Still from "Beluga Burlesque", Iterative Performance, 2022
Beluga Burlesque is a performative work that explores the intersection of ecological exploitation and gendered commodification. Drawing parallels between the endangered beluga sturgeon—illegally hunted for its prized caviar—and the cultural treatment of women as vessels of fertility, the piece confronts the absurdity and violence beneath these forms of value.
Black market trade meant to grace cool white plates
Lush pink velvet insides, waiting to be stroked and stitched
Careful stitches smoothing rough hems, shiny black sequins glued in place
Empty tins gleam, shadows pooling in the stark Soviet night
My staged photographs and soft sculptures examine the trafficking of endangered species through camp aesthetics and dark humor. Sensual materials contrast with brutal themes, blending female and fish forms. My ecofeminist performances explore parallels between women’s and animals’ reproductive rights, both under threat from patriarchal systems of control.
— Merissa Mann