Tickets are available online at Entrio.hr or at KONTEJNER (Odranska 1/1) every performance day from 6 PM.

In the performative piece "Why Wouldn't You Date Me?" Ines Borovac explores historical courtship rituals and the development of romantic relationships in a European context, reaching as far back as the Middle Ages. The recurring motif in her work is the apple, which young women used to give their chosen partner as an act of autonomy and consent. While apples are rarely gifted to romantic interests today, they have symbolically migrated to the backs of our mobile devices, which are gradually becoming our primary connection to reality and to other people. What was once the 'selling' of a woman's body through marriage (via dowry), to reinforce homosocial bonds, is not fundamentally different from the modern 'selling' of digital bodies' data on online applications—now aimed at strengthening capitalist relationships within Silicon Valley's tech world.

Ines Borovac goes on dates arranged through dating apps and, with the participants' consent, live-streams them to an audience in an exhibition space (three dates in three evenings). The audience, guided by a series of prompts, can influence the course of the date through a specially developed app created for the project, thus gamifying the dating process.

The performance was first presented simultaneously in Rotterdam and Metković, the artist’s hometown. In this local context, it represents an uncompromising act of personal vulnerability within a traditional social environment.

In the artist's own words:

"Why Wouldn't You Date Me?" is undoubtedly the most challenging project I’ve ever undertaken. A week before the performance, I stumbled over feelings of anxiety and doubt about the entire project—not because of the performance itself (I’ve done much more demanding performances elsewhere), but because this time the performance was streamed in Metković. I’m not sure if it was an internalized feeling of judgment tied to my hometown or the painful process of outing myself—not just as a bisexual woman but also as an artist, rather than merely someone’s daughter or sister. But I quickly realized I was falling into the same trap I wanted to escape, so I chose the most radical approach: enjoyment and exploration of the unknown and different. At the end of the day, I am merely a mediator between the audience and people on dating apps, open to the unexpected.

The performance "Why Wouldn't You Date Me?" makes the audience complicit in the 'game' of data exchange, confronting them with discomfort and reversing roles—from voyeurs, we become reluctant exhibitionists. Suddenly, the camera turns toward us. Borovac places a central question at the heart of her work: if we willingly give our data and attention to tech companies that profit from us (if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product), have our romantic relationships also become transactional in some way? Are our gestures, actions, and thoughts being commodified?

In a framework that evokes the scenes from reality shows like Love is Blind or Perfect Match (complete with a dose of second-hand embarrassment), the artist opens a serious dialogue about contemporary social relationships. The piece is highly relevant, particularly in the context of the emerging techno-oligarchy in the United States and the toxic masculinity that pervades the internet, often euphemistically and enthusiastically referred to as the "return of masculine energy," as recently commented on by one of Meta’s leading figures. By deconstructing dating processes and the uncritical surrender of our time and data, Borovac exposes the transactional nature of romantic and sexual relationships and the insidious agenda of many apps and digital tools we use daily.

Ana Bedenko