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Paul McCarthy

In the Stomach of a Squirrel, 1973

single-channel video, black & white
1:00:54 min

The artist enacts a series of performative actions in a small room, wearing white pants and a T-shirt. He begins by attaching tape to a rod and his belt, rubbing margarine on his shoes and hands. He spins while dragging magazines and interacts with a water basin. Tearing magazine pages and shredding his T-shirt, his attire becomes more tarnished. The performance furthers as he pours ketchup into his pants, moans into a microphone, and uses a broom for support. He wraps a fish in tape, dips a broom in mayonnaise, and stomps around the room in buckets of water whilst singing monotonously.