"Postgraduate Education" by Sinisa Labrovic

Prostitution

1. It is not merely the oldest trade, it is eternal! Eros is the force in the very core of Life and existence, which keeps the Universe together... Eros and love are safe business. And you don't even need to be tough, only have some money and good will. You should avoid street prostitution because it is dangerous, both for you and for the girls, while elite prostitution is inaccessible to you, so you should settle somewhere in the middle. Girls in an apartment bring more work and more money, but increase the probability of the police breaking in. For establishing a legal massage parlour, you need a large sum of money. The most simple and the least dangerous form of business is to take girls to the clients' apartments.

2. Publish an ad in which you announce that you are looking for girls between 18 and 35 years of age for escort services. Buy a cell phone and a SIM card only for this business. Promise good money to the girls, but don't exaggerate. Make a list, collect contacts, arrange meetings, try out those girls who haven't done escort before. Avoid using words such as "prostitution" and "whore." Those who have done this sort of thing before and look decent can be employed immediately, since they aren't likely to give up after the first job. Choose the prettiest and cleverest ones, those who are willing to work.

3. (gives instructions about buying a phone, etc)... Your girls should be nicely dressed, preferably wearing erotic lingerie, and they should smell fine. Buy them condoms, mouth water, and a lubricant in case they end up with too many jobs in one night.

4. Work from 4 p.m. until midnight. After midnight, you will have mostly drunk, drugged and problematic clients. The price list should be agreed with the girls in advance, such as: 100 EUR per hour, 60-70 EUR for half an hour, 40 EUR oral sex only... bonus for anal sex, SM, and other specialties.

5. Take the girl to the appointment, park in a side street and wait, read books, educate yourself, learn a foreign language. Split the earnings: 60% to the girl and 40% to you. She will be happy and work better, which means that you will earn more... Friends and acquaintances are the best clients. Steady clients should not receive any discount, but have the girls stay longer, be more attentive, etc.

6. If you are good to the girls, they will not snitch on you... The main problem could be guys who beat up prostitutes. If the girl doesn't return in time, phone her... Policemen and dangerous guys who want free sex should be best handled by the girl herself.. Another problem may be lazy, fastidious, irresponsible, and rude girls.

7. In summertime, take the girls to the seaside. Tourists, especially Italians, will pay twice the usual fee.
When your business has taken off, you can extend the offer and, with a bit of luck, launch an elite trade.

You can take the other way -- keep the girls as slaves, use minors, and take all the earnings -- but that way is paved with stress and mostly ends in prison.

Be kind to the girls. If you are honest and some luck, you will have both money and sex. You will live happily ever after.

Above text is from the poster “Postgraduate Education” by Croatian artist Sinisa Labrovic. Read about him here. I find this work both devastating and funny in its matter-of-fact honesty. With our economy in shambles now, like much of the rest of the world, how easy is it to turn to darker pursuits to survive?
A bit of background on the Biennial. Many artworks, including posters, diagrams, and pamphlets, had text, always translated into English and Turkish. All videos were subtitled English and Turkish. A ticket into the three biennial venues was only 10YTL, or about $7, less for students (Documenta was very expensive). The sites I visited were well attended, both by Turks and foreigners.
Visiting the Biennial sites, my friend and I came away exhausted and down. The political nature of the work was relentless, never relieved by beautiful abstraction or historical distance. However, thinking about it now, I am impressed with the consistency of the curation. They didn’t waver. All these tiny voices, mostly railing against injustice in their native countries, but occasionally against the “machine,” were somehow cumulatively enervating. Like artists really can make a difference if they just tell their small personal stories.