Embracing Love, Sex, & The Body at the Hildebrandt Co.

It’s not at every exhibition that invites participation by sitting on an artist performing as a chair, but this is what visitors walked in on during opening night for Love, Sex, & The Body, an open call 18+ art show curated by Liana Gonzalez. Artist Maddie McSweeney’s performance involved impersonating a chair, their body wrapped in beige pantyhose from head to toe.

With 73 different works from 37 artists, Gonzalez presents another round of art free of censorship and social stigma, comprising explicit portrayals of the human nude and gender transformation, as well as experiences of harrowing pain and passion.  Starting out as an intern’s project through the Cleveland Institute of Art, Love, Sex & the Body was inspired by the tender intimacy of a coffee table book featuring artistic displays of sexuality and human emotion with an accompanying show. This installment’s opening night also featured art vendors, kink demonstrations and live drag performances.

Natural Birth by Rachel Silver immediately grabs attention through its size and appearance. The mixed-media/clay sculpture of a vulva, cracked and battered, is enclosed in moss and includes miniature wood-burned vulvas, all set together against a panel of wood and an ornate frame. Each wooden vulva is different, with one breaking the rectangular frame and hanging by a gold chain. The color scheme is of earthy tones of brown, with the moss adding an aura of vibrance and texture. It blends environmental and feminist thoughts. The double entendre in the title title implies the literal interpretation between women and their ability to give birth to life, but also the spiritual connection to Mother Nature and the life brought into this world daily. The main vulva is worn-out, practically exhausted given its cracked and shrunken clitoris, while the lower part of the labia and the vaginal opening soften to carry out the offspring. There is pain, a unique sacrifice that women are meant (sometimes expected) to handle, and all this is described without even showing a human child as the “product”.

When asked about selecting works through the open applications, Gonzalez said, “there weren’t many that I didn’t take. I was mainly making sure that whatever works I did–because many people submitted more than one–that those selected fit the caliber, skill level and effort that I found in other works.” A tough call to make as a curator, excluding works of art, but one that is essential for the impact of the show. Each work of art must fit the theme and connect a thread between one another. They acknowledge arranging works using similar color schemes, subject matter and imagery to complement one another, saying “I just want people to catch the connections that I’m making as they are coming through.” This includes a particular brick wall, and to work around the limitations: they selected framed works that would be able to hang from string as well as complimentary physical attributes, saying how some glass frames allowed the brick color to come through.

Another striking piece is a triptych by Ally Russell, titled Perdre, Mourir, Peine. The intentional arrangement of each artwork, following a de-escalating diagonal, fits well with the evolution of each image. From French, the titles translate to “to lose”, “to die”, and “to grieve”, respectively. Using colored pencil over a subtle mixture of watercolors and acrylic paint, the artist shows the rapid decline and subsequent mourning from just a cool-blue torso. In the first illustration, the figure begins by bruising their left pectoral with their fingers. Next, in a fit of rage, the figure uses both hands to tear out the contents, and rips them apart. The final image is the figure stained in red and relenting in despair, cradling the visceral mess, oozing between the fingers. There is a string of questions being asked throughout the work, evolving from “what is the loss” and “what are you doing”, to “why have you done this”. The treatment towards human flesh; from raw and cruel tension behind the fingers as they rip, to the tender cupping and slumped shoulders. The second title, “to die”, is reminding the viewer to focus on the process of death that the organism is going through in tandem with viewing the figure’s action of killing it.

Overall, Love, Sex and he Body wouldn’t be having its third showing if people were not supportive of the message and execution. The show and curator themself can only improve in both selection of art and organized presentation. There is explicit work without exploitation. There is heart and pain without the burn of offense. Those who are already comfortable with art involving explicit content, queer tones, and stemming from more “controversial” spaces, as well as those who are curious should feel encouraged to view this show and more of Gonzalez’s work. There are some works that are visual representations of the human body and sex, be it desire of acceptance or activity–such as a small but strongly enticing set of plus sized bodies, delicately decorated in flowers across the skin and aptly colored blue, pinks, and lavender, titled Felicia, Echinacea, Lavender, Oenothera by jewelry artist Bee Reid. Others are less explicit, but collaborate with the overall theme for their subversion of the topic. Take MAN MEAL, a multi-media think piece constructed by Tumnus Rex using dainty tablecloth under a teacup full of used motor oil and a small platter of screws, as a subtle commentary on the online controversial trend of “girl dinners” from a lens of stereotypical masculinity. Or Cheat Day, a large-scale acrylic painting by Madison Hennessey of a girl devouring a store-bought cake by a tranquil stream, with dusty green florals balancing the murky water and the striking red highlights as the feral subject eats in pleasure.

Asked about what they hope viewers will take away from this artistic experience, Gonzalez says, “I love the aspect of this place being somewhere for people to be exposed to things like drag performance and kink in a safe and concealed space by professionals and those recognized in these communities. I want people to be more exposed to art that they don’t see every day, some that is more explicit, that wouldn’t be shown in a more commercial gallery. I hope that with more exposure comes more acceptance and promotion of healthy self-love, sexuality, exploration and sex positivity, and … I just want people to have a good time.”

This exhibit will have its closing reception on March 8th, between 6 and 9pm. Those interested can contact Liana Gonzalez at gonzalezliana12@gmail.com to learn more about viewing the exhibit, as well as any interest in last year’s Love, Sex and the Body published book.