Little Love Monument

glass bottle, oil, pigments, label, latex, spider mouth gag, O-rings, rivets, various sizes (70-130 cm x 10 cm), 2022

“Little Love Monument” was created from the collaboration between the artist Selma Gueltoprak and the label bond_free for the exhibition “Strike a pose” 2022 at K21 Düsseldorf. A symbiosis of art and design in which, in reference to Gültoprak's work “Love Monument” from 2019, that referred as a form of homage to the therapeutic aspects of the work of dominatrixes, the component of positive restriction was expanded to include latex harnesses.     

Selma Gültoprak (*1983) lives and works in Cologne. She works in various media from a research-conceptual approach, primarily in the form of objects and installations that can be temporary, site-specific or permanent. 'Love Monument' is based on intensive research and personal conversations with professional Dominatrixes and is dedicated in recognition of the therapeutic work and performance of Pro-Dommes, which, in addition to the hedonistic aspects, deal with the depths of our socio-cultural structure, our attitudes, the complex psychological dimensions and personal visions. 

bond_free is the applied achievement of mental freedom through physical restriction. The label, founded by Julia Kühn in Berlin in the end of 2019, realizes this concept through high-quality, handmade latex designs. Restrictive practices from BDSM are translated into the everyday world as a reversal of this idea. Classic fetish aesthetics, which are combined with everyday clothing to 'upgrade' one's own persona, elevate the wearer into an urban warrior.