Kick down power structures while you also get your kicks
Mainstream discussions on porn will have you believe that porn is a form of oppression. But underlying the debate are an entire community of marginalised people using porn as a point of freedom. Berlin-based club magazine Pornceptual and their latest 214-page new issue is a testament to this. Pornceptual issue #3 “Porn Guerilla” probes the question ‘can porn be a weapon for social change?’ by uniting the activism of over 56 erotic artists. From photographers to pornographers and poets, minority communities like female porn-makers, PoC and LGBTQ, trans, disabled and elderly people get a platform to show you why porn is key to growing the visibility of their sexualities.
Take the magazine’s first feature, for example, which is an expose and photo series from an 18 person orgy. “We fuck together, we fight together” celebrates the utopianism of erotically uniting people of all colours, sexualities, and genders to question how, in 2018, non-binary sexualities are still oppressed by society. The orgy also explains how the porn problem is rooted in consumer behaviour rather than pornographic creation. Other features include an interview with Erika Lust, a female pornographer whose work is opening up female-led narratives in porn, as well as job opportunities for women behind the scenes. Politicising the magazine are features like “No cure for what is not a disease” which uses intimate, erotic photography to highlight the reality of queer life in Brazil when religious fanatics enforced a legislative ‘cure’ on homosexuality. “RUSSIA” follows the same political authority by using the disruptive freedom of porn to highlight the atrocities against queer people in Chechnya.
Below we chat to Pornceptual founders Eric Phillips, Chris Phillips and Raquel Fedato about why advocating for porn in our current socio-political climate is important for the progression of minorities.
Why did you decide to make guerilla porn the theme of your third issue?
Pornceptual: The international political context has become very complicated, with right-wing politics and conservative movements strengthening their power while starting new trends that spread prejudice and fear, using the internet as a tool to disseminate misinformation. Being apolitical isn’t a comfortable choice anymore: we have to mobilise and fight for sexual freedom and diversity before our voices can’t be heard anymore. So we did this in the best way that we know: we invited 56 artists from all over the world to use porn as a weapon of protest.
Can porn be a weapon for social change?
Pornceptual: Yes, we absolutely believe that it can. Pornography is disruptive in its nature because it threatens dominant power structures and it’s a form of resistance for non-conforming sexualities. This issue was born from the need to address political matters and therefore bring change.
What are some of the biggest ways porn can change the experience of minority groups?
Pornceptual: Even though you could argue that the internet has made a wider range of representation readily available, minority groups are often fetishised, but not always represented in a positive way. Also by refusing to accept the idea of normality and the hierarchization of sexualities, the magazine focuses on sexualities and bodies that are not usually represented in mainstream porn. By presenting a more extensive range of sexual expressions and bodies, we hope to broaden the sexual appetite of our readers.
“Pornography is disruptive in its nature because it threatens dominant power structures and it’s a form of resistance for non-conforming sexualities” – Pornceptual
Censorship and lack of representation of marginalised experiences in porn is still a huge problem. How can pornographers work to change this?
Pornceptual: Mainstream pornography is dominated by conservative men. They praise only one type of representation because they want to hold their position of power, subjugating women and fetishising minorities, instead of giving them a voice. It’s time for those objects to become subjects: only when they become pornographers themselves, they can truly bring diversity to porn.
How does this issue resist arguments against pornography?
Pornography is only degrading to women if you assume it is being made exclusively for the pleasure of men ignoring women’s ability to negotiate sexual agency. The majority of the images of women in our magazine have been made by women and for women. We believe this is about giving women the power back, letting them in charge of their pleasure and how it’s represented in porn.
How did you ensure female representation in porn was properly addressed in the issue?
The portrayal of women in mainstream porn is incredibly sexist, so our focus was set on questioning the representation of female bodies in the mainstream media and female sexuality. Feminist artists featured in this issue share a similar goal: to reject the notion that women are only an instrument of male pleasure. Their work is a way of fighting power relations and highlighting questions such as consent, female orgasm and feminist pornography in general, supporting women’s pleasure and encouraging readers to express their sexual needs, wishes and desires.
How are LGBTQ+ issues within the porn industry addressed in the magazine?
Pornceptual already focuses on LGBTQI+ issues, and this magazine was an even more significant chance for us to dive deeper into them. By having an international group of artists featured in the magazine, we managed to portray queer issues from different countries in the world, such as the law project proposing a “gay cure” in the Brazilian congress, censorship in Colombia, and homophobia in Jordan. Additionally, the recruited artists also covered themes such as transphobia, heteronormativity and hate crimes against LGBTQI+ people.
Are there any other marginalised experiences addressed in the issue?
There are series featuring older models and other works sexualising under-represented bodies and bodies that do not fit traditional beauty standards. People with health conditions or impairments are also portrayed in this edition to reveal the overlooked sensual and sexual power they possess. Art is the answer to fight toxic norms and create a diversity of representations.
Pornceptual issue #3 'Porn Guerilla' launches on 27 January at Humboldt Terrassen in Berlin. You can find out more here
