"The Back scratching shop"

A Live-Art project by artist Nili Blumberg

Clara is a self liberated nurse, following her own path she created a new form of preventive medicine, based on womanly wisdom. The "special effect" of her magic nails is reported to leave you feeling more open and relaxed, promoting a sense of self acceptance and a general state of well being. One session a day may keep the doctor away!

The installation looks like a cross between a doctor's office and a working girl's window in Amsterdam's Red Light District. The decor is minimalist light green and white furnished with two chairs and a small table, green flashing decorative lights in the window framing the scene. The artist dressed in an old fashioned nurse's uniform is sitting quietly on one of the chairs looking at the street, waiting for customers. The scratching is done on one layer of clothing and takes about 3 to 5 minutes. After the session, it's up to the customer to decide what the appropriate price to pay is. Since making her first appearance at the 2005 Malmö festival in Sweden,

"The Back scratching shop" could be spotted in various public locations such as bars, theatres, and street corners, on a daily basis making the "service" accessible to all. The work highlights the ironic aspects in today's western society regarding the lack in basic human contact, consumerism, and our dependency on conventional medicine.

Challenging the borders of both medical society and the Art world "Nurse Clara" is a post feminist icon, redefining the profession according to the highest level of her integrity, knowing well that she no longer has to choose. By adding the sensual dimension and the emotional effect it has on the "customer", combined with her choice to exhibit mainly in public retail spaces, the artist is walking that fine line between art and "real life".