"When I told my friends that I was going to do pole dancing at the Dungeon Club, some of them said, 'But have you heard what goes down there?' When I got to the club, I realized those were all just rumors. There's what people say and then there's reality. Even when there was an unpleasant incident with one of the guests, who was drunk and bothered me, I went to the security guard and that person never returned," says Batshi Polak, 21, from Jerusalem, a dancer, multi-disciplinary artist, and national champion in pole and aerial acrobatics.
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Today, Batshi performs regularly at the Dungeon - a longstanding BDSM club in Tel Aviv. "When I first started pole dancing, I would post stories of me training, and a friend told me I should do something with it. She gave me the number of a party organizer, I spoke to him, he invited me to perform, and after a few times, I started working regularly as a dancer that does performances on a pole."
"Pole dancing is a combination of acrobatics, sports, and art. Only primitive people perceive it as stripping. When I dance at the club, I don't feel objectified. I receive tips mainly from women who appreciate, compliment, and love what I do. It's lovely in my eyes. Also, because the club only allows entry for couples, there isn't an overly intense atmosphere. It's not juist drunk men, like I encountered in other places, but rather cute couples."
"Pole dancing is a combination of acrobatics, sports, and art. Only primitive people can perceive it as stripping. When I dance at the club, I don't feel objectified."
In the upcoming month of June, Batshi will present her drawings, which focus on moments of pleasure and passion, in an exhibition titled "Drawing and Passion in the World of BDSM."
"I have always loved painting empowered figures. I enjoy painting primarily women, the female body. It's a natural connection for me between the world of art and the world of BDSM because, in both, the female body is often dominant. In my exhibition, I took elements from the kink world and turned them into the subject of my paintings."
Do you feel part of the Israeli BDSM community?
"I don't like communities because the communal aspect feels closed and specific to me. I live for myself. However, I did discover a connection to BDSM that I didn't think I would have thanks to my work at the club. For me, this place allows people to explore, but I mainly come and dance. Dancing is my life."
'BDSM culture is no longer considered deviant'
Yonit Fehl (40) from Tel Aviv is a graduate of the WIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education. She used to be a director in advertising agencies and now works as a user experience designer in a startup, while also pursuing illustration, graphic design, and working on a children's book. Yonit will also present an exhibition related to BDSM, featuring pixelated figures that minimally convey various fetishes and scenes from the realms of power dynamics.
How did your connection to the BDSM community begin?
"I was exposed to this world when I started going to parties at the Dungeon as part of the gothic scene, back when it was in Jaffa. The gothic scene is mixed with fetish and kink, and even the attire is similar. I can say that I belong to both worlds."
"BDSM culture is less hidden, and no longer considered 'taboo.' This openness empowers women who are part of this world. They explore and experiment. Whether they want to be dominant or submissive, or even both, it's their decision"
What's the thought behind the pixelated figures that you create?
"I'm an inner geek, and as a child of the '80s, I connected to computer games and pixelated characters from a young age, like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man. Around 2018, I started working in a new studio, and the blank wall caught my attention. I had a vision to fill it with pixelated characters. So, I created a grid and started filling it, printing and hanging around 40 figures on the studio wall. The wall received a lot of attention in the office, and anyone who passed by would stop and ask where they could get similar pictures. Then, a colleague I worked with said I was onto something, and during the pandemic, I turned my pixels into a formal business. I named it Pixel.it because I can pixelate almost any character, including portraits of people."
How did your pixelated figures end up in the exhibition?
"One of my big dreams is to hold an exhibition of my art, so when the folks at the Dungeon approached me and offered me the opportunity to exhibit a fetish-themed art show with them, I was thrilled. I've always been interested in seeing how my pixels can integrate into different realms, including the realm of sexuality. There's something about depicting a figure graphically that gives it a cute and innocent look. I love this juxtaposition. I believe I've managed to create an interesting combination of kink and BDSM in my pixel art."
What is the position of women in BDSM culture today, in your opinion?
"In my opinion, BDSM culture is more open in our time, more exposed to the world, less hidden, and no longer considered 'taboo.' This openness empowers women who are part of this world. They explore and experiment. Whether they want to be dominant or submissive, or even both, it's their decision, which means that even as submissives, they have control over their decision to be that way. However, it's important to always be aware of the environment and keep an eye out for cases of exploitation."
During the month of June, the Fetish Fringe Festival will take place at the Dungeon BDSM club, where Israeli creators, including Yonit and Batshi, will showcase their creations throughout the club and share personal experiences from the realms of fetishes and kink.