Polina Kanis Examines Strip Clubs as Patriarchy Symbols at PAKT Foundation

At PAKT Foundation in Amsterdam's Zeeburgerpad industrial area, Russian artist Polina Kanis presents 'Politics Rotation,' an exhibition exploring the connection between sexualized bodies and state power. Running until October 26, the show features a video, photographs taken while Kanis worked as a dancer in a strip club, and a code of conduct titled 'Rules of Conduct for Club Strippers' inspired by her research. The project includes a roundtable and performance as part of the public program, aiming to reflect on issues linked to the Dutch context. Kanis states, 'Politics manifests through the control of bodies. My performative research sought to investigate and counter the positioning of my (female) body within an authoritarian state rooted in patriarchal violence. The strip club became a microcosm of this system, a space where power dynamics were both exposed and reinforced.' Born in Saint Petersburg in 1985, Kanis lives and works in Ewijk, Netherlands. She graduated from the Rodchenko Art School in Moscow (2011) and was a resident at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam (2017–2018). Her work has been shown at Haus der Kunst Munich (2017), Garage Museum of Contemporary Art Moscow (2014, 2018), VISIO program at Palazzo Strozzi Florence (2019), parallel program at Manifesta 10 (2015), VI Moscow International Biennale for Young Art (2015), and the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2020).