Valentine Bo's photographic exploration in "Your Next Step Would Be To Do The Transmission," presented at Foam Talent in London, delves into the confluence of science fiction and controversial spirituality, primarily inspired by the doctrines of the Raëlian movement.
This series marks a significant departure from Bo's earlier work, which captured the quotidian aspects of life in Kiev with spontaneity and humor. In contrast, this new endeavor ventures into a realm where photography transcends its documentary roots, employing the medium as a conduit for speculative and fantastical narratives.
The series is set against the backdrop of a laboratory, a space traditionally associated with the empirical and rational, yet here it is reimagined as a stage for the surreal and the uncanny. The presence of embalmed animals and the visage of a miniature baby in a flask, floating atop an unsettling red substance, instantly unsettle the viewer, blurring the lines between the grotesque and the intriguing. The addition of human subjects into this bizarre tableau - notably, an elderly woman enacting a face transplant on a young girl - amplifies the dissonance, challenging our perceptions of reality, age, and identity.
Bo’s work is heavily influenced by his engagement with the Raëlian movement, a group that espouses the belief in extraterrestrial creationism. This influence is evident not only in the thematic content of the series but also in its aesthetic choices and symbolic references. The old woman, embodying Brigitte Boisselier of CLONAID, and the young girl, representing the first human clone named Eve, are not merely characters but are symbolic anchors that navigate the viewer through the complex narratives of creation, identity, and the essence of being.
Moreover, the series provocatively engages with themes of sexuality and the body, areas that the Raëlians have controversially addressed. Through the visual language of dildos, artificial flesh, and wired vulvas, Bo contemplates a future dissociated from traditional reproductive functions, envisaging a utopia (or perhaps dystopia) where pleasure is detached from procreation, and humanity is untethered from its biological imperatives.
The aesthetic of the series, born from Bo's dreams and meticulously constructed through an intensive process of set design and casting, reflects a deep engagement with the material and symbolic dimensions of his subjects. The use of props sourced from flea markets and online shops, alongside the advanced technology of 3D printing, underscores a fusion of the artisanal and the digital, mirroring the hybrid nature of the speculative futures Bo imagines.
While the narrative foundation of "Your Next Step Would Be To Do The Transmission" is anchored in the history and ideology of Raëlism, its thematic exploration transcends the specifics of the movement. Bo’s work prompts a reflection on broader societal issues such as conformity, sincerity, and the performative aspects of human interaction. Through the lens of the absurd and the speculative, the series invites viewers to reconsider the boundaries between truth and fiction, and to question the narratives we construct about ourselves and the world around us.
