Art and Prostitution

Marlene Dumas

If a Prostitute is a person
who makes it a profession
to gratify the lust of various persons
for economical reasons of gain,
where emotional involvement may
or may not be present —

Then it seems not so far removed
from my definition of an artist.
Artists usually love to pretend.
Artists usually pretend to love
much more than they can handle.
They want everyone to want them
while they don’t want anybody.