ONLY FOR THE MONEY, PERFORMANCE – IRMA OPTIMISTI

PRESS RELEASE (in Finnish)

Irma Optimisti will perform Only for the Money on Saturday, March 25, 1995, at 3:00 PM at the Pori Art Museum, on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:00 PM at the Turku Art Museum, and later in the fall at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki.

The performance functions as an imaginary museum space, guided by museum docent Irma Optimisti. The presentation combines mathematical symbolism with the small talk of object functionality and display.

From the museum’s collection, the following works are introduced: Sweet Salt Purse, Soft Moving Camp, Smile Relics of Flashes, Fashion Show, Optimist’s Europe Guide, Adventures of Finland, and Game of Contacts.

Reflecting a female-optimistic lifestyle, Irma Optimisti also showcases private objects and tools whose allure lies in the touch of a hidden caress.

The goal is the realization of dynamic space on the static playing field of the male gaze. The exchange value of male dynamism is clarified. Encouraging messages influence market information. Irma Optimisti analyzes changes using a self-designed persons’ stock market computer program. The body is measured in value and appreciation, while an empirical test evaluates male performance thresholds—both met and missed.

The game involves male tools and female reactions, and vice versa. The essence lies in rewards that align with the game’s unfolding events. The non-linear logic of female investments creates pure chaos.

Translated with ChatGPT