Gym Rats

In this participatory performance, titled Gym Rats, I asked bodybuilders at the gym to teach me how to use machines or equipment that they prefer to use in the space they are comfortable with. While I engage in the exercise that I am instructed to do, I invite them to draw their bodies the way they see themselves. I want to deconstruct the idea of identity, and physicality. The act of self-portraiture adds a layer of vulnerability, as most gym-goers or bodybuilders tend to struggle with their appearance as they train and mold their body in a strenuous way. With the rigorous routine a bodybuilder goes through to get the body they desire, there is the possible outcome of experiencing body dysmorphia. I want to dive into the mental process of these athletic performers. 

As they sketch their own bodies, there is the quality of the relationship between themselves and the gym and the mode of participation is the act of switching the hierarchy. They are asked to instruct me, putting them in that higher authority and by drawing themselves they have more control with their bodies and internal dialogue.