HUMAN INTEREST
One of Rothenberg’s most pointed works is Love Story, a series of heart-shaped tart pans inlaid with text and marbleized paper and mounted on the wall. The text recounts, from the man’s point of view, an office romance gone sour: “I definitely was in love with her. I even wanted to marry her. But on the weekend, when we were both supposed to ask our spouses for a divorce, I just couldn’t go through with it. Monday morning, I called her into my office and told her I had changed my mind. The next day I found out that she had filed a lawsuit against me for sexual harassment. My company settled for $1,000,000.”
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The Hill-Thomas hearings have shown that the office “romance” is a concept complicated by gender power plays and the inequities that often define such relationships. And while the courts have begun to recognize these imbalances, this has done little to give women more actual power. What women have acquired is a recognition as “victims,” which they then use to undermine the patriarchal structure. As Love Story playfully articulates with the use of heart-shaped “tart” pans, women are still achieving power through sex. They may be entrenched in an unfortunate role, but at least they’re recognized as victims and compensated monetarily.
Jesus wants me to take off my clothes.
Jesus wants me to cook and clean for him.
Jesus has made me very angry.
Jesus wants us to get back together.
