"Dine with Me" is an expression of a symbiotic, dependent relationship. The absence of separation prevents the development of a natural relationship or connection between two individuals. Their attachment only permits a limited existence: either they sit with their legs stretched out straight ahead, intertwined; or to one side or the other of the chair, semi-detached. A symbiotic relationship, in which the existence of one depends entirely on that of the other, creates the illusion of security and stability. The romanticisation of "one soul in two bodies" (Aristotle) reinforces this sense of interdependence.
For years, women were considered the property of men. First a father and then a husband, and thus had no independent existence of their own. As a result, many generations have considered total union a relationship ideal, without acknowledging the price, both emotional and concrete. Maayan Weisstub's work ranges from collective cultural injustice to personal and intimate psychological self-reflection. In this work, Weisstub poses challenging questions about how we find ourselves in such complex relationship arrangements. What is the price we pay? Do we hide our pathology from the wider world? Do we hide it from ourselves?
Maayan Sophia Weisstub (born 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist, graduate of the Royal College of Art. Weisstub's practice uses various mediums, including kinetic sculpture, collage, drawing and video. Her works range from humour-inflected collages of human bodies to conceptual installations reflecting on time and mortality. Primarily self-taught, a fact reflected in the scope and diversity of her work, which evokes thoughts and feelings across different topics, ranging from collective cultural injustice to personal and intimate psychological self-reflection. Ultimately, question the feelings and ideas that constitute the human experience. Maayan primarily explores and challenges the banal with sensitivity, vulnerability, and audacity.
