Gifted Men (2015)
A three-channel film installation, 67 min
Gifted Men is a film installation by Nils Agdler & Timo Menke that deals with the commercial distribution of semen in Denmark from the perspective of anonymous donors. Gifted Men is the result of a multidisciplinary research-based artistic project on donation practices.
Donations are often regarded as selfless good deeds, and are expected to be voluntary, free and anonymous, though they may raise sensitive ethical questions. The three-channel film installation Gifted Men focuses on the commercial distribution of sperm in Denmark, from the perspective of anonymous donors. Danish legislation (unlike that of most European countries) allows for anonymous sperm donations, leading to increasing fertility tourism from other European countries. Sperm banks operate in a complex grey area on several levels, marketing human sperm as a processed product. Special attention has been given to issues relating to masculinity and fatherhood, and how masculinity is manifested at the sperm banks and clinics. The project and its various outputs (short film, film installation, publication, donation performance) are based on personal interviews conducted with anonymous sperm donors and clinic managers in Copenhagen, Odense and Aarhus in Denmark.
Some of the questions raised in interviews with anonymous donors are: What motivated you to become a donor? How do you relate to the children you will never meet? How would you react if one of “your” children succeeded in finding out that you are his/her biological father? How do you reflect on a future scenario where more men choose to donate and more women select anonymous fathers for their children?
With support of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Helge Ax:son Johnsons stiftelse, Konstfack - University of Arts, Crafts and Design and Längmanska kulturfonden.
