THE [HOLISTIC] GIA - "NEVER SO MUCH BODY"

THE [HOLISTIC] GIA invites you on an expeditionary journey that explores the (virtual) body(space) and delves into the complex interplay between grind culture, self-optimization, gender, and cyber identity. As an experimental film, THE (HOLISTIC) GIA presents an assemblage of diverse cinematic and documentary elements.

Grind culture, also known as 'hustle culture,' is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon characterized by overwork and self-exploitation. In this culture, the body is often viewed as a tool for self-optimization, a resource that must be continuously improved and pushed to its limits in pursuit of perceived success.

Gia manifests as a conceptually layered entity embodying the complexity of existence without descending into complication. As a hybrid being and avatar, she navigates a tension-filled web between the body as an image and the body as lived reality. The body plays a central role, serving as both the stage and medium through which everything unfolds. It is endowed with immense significance. The body is conceived as an arena, inspired by Barbara Kruger's notion of a labyrinth of irrational forces. Engaging with the body necessitates an exploration of complex connections and discourses involving economic power, gender, the sensory experiences and sensations of the body (the unconscious), institutions, and ideological forces. Gia opens a window into these personal somatic experiences, social encounters, and political dynamics.

Gia's exploratory connection with the body enables an open dialogue about the contradictions of the achievement-oriented society. It prompts reflection on the connections between the individual and the collective within the context of self-optimization. Her discursive approach allows for a critical examination of power structures, corporeality, and social aspects of our existence. This opens up alternative perspectives on individual development and fulfillment beyond the constant drive for productive work, while acknowledging the ambivalence that grind culture can be part of this system.

THE [HOLISTIC] GIA is dedicated to collective conceptions of the body, subject, and identity, as well as their contemporary (virtual) forms of representation. It adopts aesthetic and queer-feminist positions to question and dismantle the body as an archive.

The body becomes a hyper-narcissistic and subversive realm, continuously transforming itself. Rules and routines are fragmented. The body is ironically, exaggeratedly, and seriously exhibited. The pursuit of a better version of the "self" becomes an eternal task involving pumping, posing, and posting. Under the concept of biohacking, neural and functional enhancements are sought. The portrayal on social platforms is examined and deconstructed. The internet and social media provide snapshots of the present and serve as visual archives for the future.

The term "beauty pressure" is replaced with "healthism" to maintain subtle power structures and emphasize self-responsibility for failure. Self-monitoring is documented, and the pursuit of the "optimal" and "perfect" is reflected in the work. THE [HOLISTIC] GIA is an experiment, an ongoing and continuous quest for contemporary aesthetic strategies that address and explore the relationship and contradiction between identity, body, and optimization on an immersive cinematic level.

The work constructs self-images by reshaping the body as a cult in virtual and physical spaces. It utilizes fragmented self-documentation and found-footage material from social media to engage with self-optimization (biohacks) and the representation of the body on the internet. Various aspects of the body are explored, ranging from breath and body treatments to different somatic works.

What does it mean to have a body, and what are the impacts of constant optimization on it?
What connection exists between our physical body and identity and the virtual body?
Can the body be materialized, and what image of the body emerges when considering it as a discursive object?
Is a world without bodies and binaries possible?
How does the body take shape as a hybrid, abstract, and open concept constantly undergoing change, creating its own cosmos beyond cultural and social constructs?