Installation view of the Sex Show. Photo: Olivia Musselwhite
Opening reception: February 6, 2020, 8 pm
Gallery 1313, 1313 Queen St W, Toronto
In time for Valentine’s day there is a light-hearted and playful exhibition about the topic of sexuality and its diverse range. A light tone permeates throughout the show. A variety of mediums explore the theme with paintings, drawings, collage, installations and videos.
The collection is not only high-spirited, but also brings to the forefront some important, relevant topics. To list a few, the show can be viewed through a feminist and a queer lens while it also brings up the newly realized anxieties of online dating. The exhibition is curated online by Phil Anderson, Executive Director of Gallery 1313 from submissions to encapsulate the expansive range that the theme of sexuality has the potential to cover.
Mishka Peachka with her work Misster Dress Up (top) and Misster Dress Up (bottom). Photo: Phil Anderson
Ravi Persaud, SWIPE RIGHT. Photo: Phil Anderson
Installation view with MUSE by Kelly O’Neil (front). Photo: Phil Anderson
Zoë Joyall brings personalities to the female anatomy with eyes and long lashes in her brightly colored cartoon-like illustration, I Can Feel That. Joyall states that her works are the product of being frustrated by lack of control of the gaze of viewers. Her series of vulvas challenge the gaze, active in their relationship with the viewer, asserting themselves against those who are attempting to sexualize or objectify them.
Installation view with Nora House, Belfie and Zoë Joyall, Vulvas with Eyes from the series I Can Feel That (right). Photo: Phil Anderson
Stephen Dunn creates videos recounting the mishaps and comical situations that come in online dating in the work, Pop Up Pornos. The stories of different people fold out from pop-up books where the narrator’s hands open the pages, candidly telling their dating experiences visualized on the pages. The viewer feels for the characters, who are stumbling through social interactions.
Guess in front of the video Pop Up Pornos by Stephen Dunn. Photo: Phil Anderson
The Sex Show delivers an exhibit that leaves one feeling amused along with the sense of a higher awareness of what sex and sexuality means in the 21st century.
Visitors looking at EKR Schlegel’s works. Photo: Phil Anderson
Guests at the opening reception. Photo: Phil Anderson
Olivia Musselwhite
*Exhibition information: February 5 – 16, 2020, Gallery 1313, 1313 Queen St W, Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sun, 1 – 6 pm.