Hump Day

Video by Diego Agullo and Dmitry Paranyushkin
Text by Danny Calvi

The above video is just one of a series of videos by artist duo Diego Agullo, 32, and Dmitry Paranyushkin, 30, who thought the Palace of Justice in Brussels, Belgium ‘needed some love and attention’. Don’t we all? Their art is a kind of contemporary dance meets performance art meets video art which looks at the practice and creative possibilities of humping.

The two Berlin-based artists were granted unprecedented access to the court of law in the EU’s de facto capital. They make it look easy, but it can take up to sixteen hours and a dedicated assistant to create just one video. When they first met at a party at Basso, the gay-friendly artist hub in Kreuzberg, Diego and Dimitry, who both had a background in contemporary dance, knew they were destined to go on a series of humping ‘missions’ together.

What’s next for Diego and Dimitry? As Dmitry explained via telephone — without a touch of irony, by the way — they hope to find a subsidy to hump the moon one day. Just don’t compare their approach to the tableau vivant of Spencer Tunick, such comparisons definitely rub them the wrong way.

Dmitry and Diego premiere their new ‘Humping Pact’ work, ‘Dysfunctionally Naked’, this Friday, 5 October from 19:30 P.M. at the Beursschouwburg in Brussels, Belgium. For more info, check out their website.