Cash Me Online by Amandine Kuhlmann at MEP

Created in 2023, this project, combining performance and video, explores social media as a performative space.

Overview

The artist has designed a fictional character, a hypersexualized alter ego, who operates both online and during public performances. Adopting glamorous, artificial, or suggestive poses inspired by social media trends, this character re-enacts the stereotypes that dominate these virtual spaces, exaggerating social expectations.

The project features a series of short sequences: “Mukbang” videos – a phenomenon where viewers watch young women consume excessive amounts of food – followed by the wellness advice of the “Clean girl,” a figure promoting a healthy, productive lifestyle fueled by self-help mantras. To embody these various archetypes, Amandine Kuhlmann blends images of herself with found footage. Using deepfake technology, she overlays her face onto these foreign bodies, further highlighting their artificiality and strangeness.

This work underscores the impact of social media on the commodification of bodies, particularly women’s bodies, whose societal status remains heavily influenced by these imposed standards. Cash me Online offers a critical and sarcastic perspective on these constraints, creating space for reflection and, ultimately, liberation.