Hold me down

Riley Teahan

July 12 - August 3, 2025

The Front, 4100 St Claude New Orleans

A man I love asks me: “Do u feel like u HAVE to please men?”

The question stings.

I have been performing for men for as long as I can remember.

One of my greatest acts. I do this performance for safety, for validation, for resources.

Women are socialized to make themselves consumable.

I want to believe I'm in charge of my own consumption. I know this is naive.

The male gaze has shaped how I see myself. I am pulled apart by compliance and rebellion.

Performing can feel heavy, put on, like a mask. Other times I don’t even notice i’m doing it. Sometimes I drop the act completely – vulnerable, bursting open.

“Hold me down” is a study on performance and authenticity in intimacy, and how boundaries glitch, dissolve and reshape as I choose to share myself.