BEATE ABSALON

 

 

Photo: Ian Douglas

Beata or Beate—either is fine, since I have German-Polish roots. “Beate” sounds pleasantly cool and professional to me. I grew up with “Beata,” so that name conveys warmth and closeness to me. Feel free to decide for yourself. 

I design workshops and seminars, and write texts (essays, articles, nonfiction books >>Not giving a fuck and a >>doctoral dissertation), give lectures, moderate discussions, and am involved in various art and cultural projects. Maybe something like “experience curator” would be a fitting title?

I’ve recently started offering one-on-one sessions and would like to make more room for this in my life. I haven’t yet earned my certification as a non-medical practitioner in psychotherapy, but I have enough experience to provide guidance and support. If you’re drawn to my approach and style, please reach out to me, and we’ll find a customized format that works for you.

In addition, I’m always happy to collaborate and look forward to the opportunity to participate in workshops, readings, interviews, panel discussions, moderation sessions, lectures, columns, and other contributions. Whether at universities, festivals, companies, on the radio, or in other media—I bring my experience to these settings as well. Feel free to reach out to me.

I’ve been withluhmen d’arc since 2017. Back then, I was studying cultural studies and wanted to finally answer the age-old question, “What kind of culture are you studying?” Why not sexual culture, I thought at some point. Sure, the topic draws attention. But above all, I wanted to do something about my frustration. Because most of the time, I don’t really know what to make of all the talk about sex. I miss approaches that view sex as something strange, funny, mundane, and playful—as something that, in the best sense, makes no sense. And in movies, self-help books, sex education materials, or everyday talk about sex, it’s treated as if everything were crystal clear. Everything is always neatly categorized: into primary and secondary sexual organs; into the “best” positions; Into “vanilla” and “straight” on one side and “kinky” and “queer” on the other. And it’s always about problems, drama, love, and revolving around one’s own ego. And about exploiting sex.

At first, I found refuge in the texts of queer and psychoanalytic theory, but also in poetry and literature. There I found words to describe how the experience of sexuality repeatedly spills out of fixed molds, defying their shape. And through my immersion in the world of diverse bodily practices—in BDSM, contact improvisation, massage techniques, and somatics—I was able to experience this firsthand.

That is exactly what I want to preserve in my workshops and in my writing: this blurring of the lines between the sexual and the non-sexual—and how we navigate it with our own unique strategies for coping and finding pleasure. How we support one another through it all with humor and comfort. How we acknowledge our different ways of dealing with things and support one another in solidarity, staying committed to what feels alive to us.

That's why my work is sort of about sex, but then again, it isn't. As I explain in my book >> Not Giving a Fuck , sex for me is more like “tofu: a great flavor carrier for what actually makes sex-positive spaces spicy—purifying insights gained through uncomfortable group processes. Indulging in the joy of role-playing, finally not having to be yourself. Magical moments of swarm intelligence, when everyone is so in sync that their interaction feels like a rehearsed choreography. When people do weird stuff together: out of boredom mixed with excess energy, conjuring up a costume from bedsheets that transforms five people into a sort of caterpillar that makes a lap around the playspace. Turning everyday objects into orgasmic tools: stroking the entire body with a large paintbrush. Letting tears roll down your cheeks when you look into each other’s eyes long enough. When you simply let your hands meet, and they begin to take on a life of their own like little creatures, performing dances that escalate into orgies. When someone lets you lick their bald head. Is that sex?”

I suspect you’ll feel right at home here if at least one of the following keywords resonates with you: Aesthetics and absurdity ‎| Intersubjectivity ‎| A sense of sociopolitical contexts and power structures ‎| An attitude of curiosity and sincerity ‎| An openness to non-cathartic feelings and staying grounded (grand promises of transformation, healing, or authenticity are not my thing) ‎| Tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to endure ambivalence, and the inclusion of spectra ‎| Turning away from structured experiences to focus on those life processes that are truly breaking through right now.

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— Beate on Instagram —


 

UPCOMING EVENTS WITH BEATA

 

PAST EVENTS WITH BEATA