Venus and the (R)uses of Power: Nelisiwe Xaba’sThey Look at Me and That’s All They Think

Abstract

A number of contemporary art/performance pieces invoke “the Venus Hottentot.” Nelisiwe Xaba’s They Look at Me and That’s All They Think demonstrates how the contemporary reproduction of “the Venus” requires the Black performer to labor for white narcissistic identification and psychic rehabilitation. By focusing on Black transnational labor and mobility, They Look at Me highlights how anti-Black domination is simultaneously resisted and reinforced through performance.