ARTIST STATEMENT:  Midas is King is a short aerial dance film about the relentless consumption of beauty as currency within the confines of a system. Especially true for people who are raised as girls, the most valuable capital we have is perceived to be our youth, beauty, and sexual viability. This axiom is embedded in the fiber of our culture and our bodies, which are consumed and exploited as a resource from an early age. In such a value system, the merit of ourselves is seen to decline steadily as soon as we reach the apex of young adulthood. Brief moments of ascension are possible, tastes of autonomy marked by their brevity and ultimate dissolution. The act of survival itself consumes as fast as it creates, leaving behind a debt unpaid.

​

Please contact the artist for exhibition and screenings of the full work

Creative Direction and Performance - Rachel Strickland Videography - Keith Bradshaw, On It Video

Editing - Tyler Parks, Big Pants Productions

Music and Photography- Max Cooper

Special thanks to Jordan and Clayton, Aerial Fit, and to Pam, Alex, Andrea, and Shaun

Funded by and dedicated to my incredible patrons - this would not exist without you.

 www.patreon.com/rachelstricklandcreative

Don't go back to sleep xo