Annika Larsson's Male-Centric Video Worlds at Caisse des Dépôts

Swedish artist Annika Larsson (b. 1972) presented two video works at Caisse des dépôts et consignations in Paris from May 17 to June 17, 2001. Her videos exclusively feature men, often handsome and suited, performing ritualistic acts in sparse interiors. The work '40 – 15' (1999) depicts two amateur actors in white shorts simulating tennis strokes in front of a mirror, accompanied by a techno/disco bassline. No words are exchanged; the duo communicates only through reflections. A ball boy in black and a witness in dark glasses play passive roles. The video's slow motion and repetition create an erotic tension, though the installation suffered from the cramped gallery space compared to its immersive presentation at Norway's Momentum Biennale (2000). A second video, 'Tanning Man' (1999), shows a suited man standing motionless before a UV tanning bed, transforming a mundane act into a poetic void. Larsson's work blends video aesthetics (repetition, slow motion) with cinematic language (Hitchcockian zooms, suspense), situating itself at the intersection of practices and contributing to an 'other cinema' defined as an aesthetic of confusion. Her pieces avoid feminist connotations and align with a broader media trend of objectifying the male body.