Julika Rudelius (b. Cologne, 1968) is fascinated by the conduct and motivations of her fellow humans. In her subtly staged video films boys talk in particularly frank terms about girls, non-native Dutch boys tell about their love for brand-name clothing, women describe how they prefer to achieve orgasm, black people try to put into words what ‘black’ means to them, and she interrogates high-status men about the significance of money. Although the situations are staged, they are always based on actual occurrences.

The video works deal with the behaviour of people and the codes that they apply – and employ – among themselves. They often deal with rather intimate matters, skirting close to taboo issues.

Julika Rudelius: ‘The subjects that I broach are related to my own uncertainties. I am a social being, sensitive to the tensions in my environment. These tensions are the foundation for my work. I begin with my own embarrassment and neuroses. I investigate the canon of preconceptions that define my own behaviour and that of others.’