CURRENT EXHIBITION
MIR26 - "JOY IN KINK"
November 3-6, 2022
Center on Halsted, 3rd Floor Lobby
Opening Reception November 3, 2022 from 8:00 - 10:00 PM
Larry Buller, Bondage Boi, Low-fire Clay, Decals, Gold Luster, 15"T x 10"W, Photo by Jordan Tannahill
The exhibition "Joy In Kink" considers the power of finding, expressing, and creating joy through art and kink practices. Stop by the thrid floor lobby gallery of Center on Halsted to see how these artists represent joy in the process, experience, and documentation of their practice as well as through the humor and subversion of sexual norms.
Works by the following artists will be shown in this exhibition.
LARRY BULLER - My art at first glance suggests the domestic, ornamental nature of ceramic objects, but upon closer look one discovers a showy, transgressive content that is conceptualized around issues of gay sexuality, the phallus and sexual fetish objects. These highly decorative pieces resonate with my varied experiences as a gay man. Clay presents one endless possibilities for form and surface decoration and is therefore the perfect medium for my subversive intentions. I revel in blending the rich historical language of ceramics art with the low-brow, overly decorative and often kitsch nature of craft which can often be had for the cheap at flea markets. I invite the viewer to delight in the excessive and glitzy nature of my work as they discover a more sinister objective. I use decals, gold luster, fake fur, glitter and plastic gem stones to "queer up" the surface quality of my work and in doing so also question the nature of what is considered to be in "good taste" for the domestic setting. In a larger sense, I feel that my work acts as a metaphor for my life as an out gay man who does not often "fit in" to the conventional role society defines for men. My intention is not to shock the viewer but rather to create a dialog around topics generally not openly discussed in "polite" society around issues of masculinity, sexual expression between men and the roll of fetish objects in the gay community. Learn more on his website larrybullerceramics.com or follow him on instagram.
ZACH GREAR - Zach Grear is a self-taught artist inspired by Queer erotica and tattoo iconography. He uses markers and collage to alter found imagery, specializing in vintage gay porn magazines he used to shoplift as a teen. Each piece transforms the original image into a new “othered” version of itself. Recurring words and symbols add to this distortion, challenging the original intent of the image. His artwork also includes portraits of his personal heroes along with peers in the contemporary Queer art scene. Zach currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. Learn more on his website zachgrear.com or follow him on instagram.
nosoxnosex - I am a graphic designer by day and this is my secret creative outlet. No deadlines, no rules, no expectations from others. Just me exploring the porn world, making collages about things that tickle my fancy. In a way, animated collages are the perfect art form to capture what I want to express. Taking bits and pieces from an endless, evolving catalogue, combining them into a new shape, telling a new story. It results in a jumble of images, perpetual, almost overstimulating, just like online porn itself. My works are explicit. Subtle, suggestive eroticism doesn’t interest me. I wish to create something beautiful, magical from what many would consider indecent, repulsive, or debased. You can find it stimulating, fascinating, horrifying, beautiful, funny, hopefully a combination of all those things. Learn more about them on their website nosoxnosex.com or follow them on twitter.
VEE ELECTROPAPI - Vee Electropapi is a New York based lifestyle teacher and performer of electro sensation arts, fireplay arts, shibari and rope suspension. In Vee’s Caribbean-based Black Indigenous ancestral healing practices, they realized that salvation can only happen when desire is liberated. Holiness is liberated queerness. In this art exhibition, Vee explores the crucifixion, ascension, and sainthood of the Black and Indigenous queer trans two spirit body as a sanctuary of desire in kink and bdsm. You can contact Vee on instagram or email them at Electropapizap@gmail.com
RUSH - Rush is a California based rubberists and artist who finds joy in art and obedience. You can follow him on twitter or instagram.
DILLON ROSE GARDNER - Dillon says "I enjoy the details. I enjoy hyper focusing on the everyday things n moments that make me feel anything, good, bad, ugly beautiful... its all feelings and I love to feel. It's seeming like the exploration of self through make believe play. kink to me is the definition of incorporating fantasy into reality." You can follow them on instagram.
ABHIJEET - Abhijeet is a drag queen and nightlife producer in Chicago. Hailed as a 7ft tall Bollywood Barbie, she brings the glitz and glam both on and off the stage through larger-than-life looks and performances. In addition to being a featured artist at Chicago’s favorite LGBTQ+ venues, Abhijeet is a founding member of nightlife collective A Queer Pride and the producer of sold-out drag brunch Dim Sum & Drag, underground party series BOOTS, and the city’s first-ever outdoor drag festival Chicago Is A Drag Fest. You can follow her on instagram.
Art For Purchase
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