Last January 22, at De La Salle College of St. Benilde, Alain Camiling, Professor of Visual Art Forms, introduced BAP resident Eddie Peake to the students of SDA.

He continues to present videos of his early instructional performances wherein he challenges two performers to exchange clothes with another without exposing any skin. Another work included naked men playing a football (rugby) match. And the last performance he showcased was Head (2016) in New York with a completely different process as compared to the two previous works. Head involves five nude bodies covered head to toe in red, orange, yellow, turquoise, and purple body paint. The piece explores sexual impulses as they manifest in unrequited desire. More specifically, the desire for the unattainable, whether it be because of the complex nature of romantic and sexual relationships, jealousy, love triangles, or sheer deviation from the norm. For Peake, the work is intensely personal to the point where he says there is no separation between himself and what he creates. “I’m totally subjectively immersed in the work and I also want that,” he says. “The work is just me and my desires.” As an artist, he says, he has no interest in drawing a convoluted, enigmatic route away from himself.

During the Question and Answer segment, Eddie responded to a question concerning the importance of criticism. He felt conflicted and ambivalent about such assessments as his experience with criticism felt 99% disappointing and unsatisfying. “Generally speaking, I really found [critique of my work] disappointing.” Peake states, “I often feel like, ‘Well, that isn’t what happened in the work or you clearly wrote that with your opinion predetermined. You just came to the show to legitimize a preconceived idea you had about the show.’ I listen very attentively to the responses.”

This brought him to self-criticize about the extent to which he is able to use queer aesthetics. “To my mind sexuality is so personal and idiosyncratic and unique to each individual, you not only have to know them at all, you have to know them really intimately, so much that they can explain to the complexities and nuances of their sexuality.”

Responding to not having dance background, Peake explains how he integrates choreography in his work. He mentions that his 15-year body of work has allowed him to develop his own language that perhaps one can characterize as being choreography – same to painting, and sculpture, and his different modes of doing exhibitions. He also believes that the art gallery space allows artists and audiences to explore different possibilities without judgement.

A member of the audience inquired about representation, reality, and self-awareness; and how Eddie perceives painting and the art gallery space. “I have a self-imposed, restricted self consciousness about [representation] sometimes,” Peake states, “and then sometimes I feel the opposite.” He continues, “[As mentioned], painting has always been my grounding, but it doesn’t mean I can’t leave it. I do as well agree that the “white cube” is a neutral ground for experimenting.”

Another person inquired about the roles of the viewers and the costumes in his performances. Eddie argues, “That in a gallery, you sort of press a button, where you’re self-aware in not being in normal space anymore you having to think and engage critically of what you’re being shown, that’s what I think the 21st century gallery is. The audience is as much on show as much as the artist or a work is in a gallery.” He continues, “Costume is a relevant aspect, it really is a struggle in my mind, in fact the reason why performers in my work are naked is more because I don’t want to deal with costumes in my performances. Because anything that you have a performer wear will signify something. I don’t want any significance in the costumes.”

Lastly, questions about his conceptualization were brought up. Reflecting on his process and the freedom he allows himself to act impulsively as to not restrict his output, Peake simplifies the intent: “I think if you make any work, any work is imbued with meaning. Any work can’t not have any meaning.”