What was so fascinating about Exotica (1994) the film that for many of us marked the discovery of Atom Egoyan, was the way that it enticed you to get dose, as close as possible, to let yourself be suffocated by the proximity of the voice of the flesh, without being able to touch any. This was the secret behind the film’s strip-club atmosphere. I remember the enthusiasm with which Julião Sarmento spoke to me of Exotica after he’d seen it for the first time. Years later, that enthusiasm would bring the two artists together in a collaboration included in the 2001 Venice Biennale: the video installation