{"id":46471,"date":"2021-02-10T16:51:07","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T21:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=46471"},"modified":"2021-02-10T16:56:42","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T21:56:42","slug":"hi-libido-gallery-1313","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=46471","title":{"rendered":"Hi Libido @ Gallery 1313"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ha! And you thought you were lonely before<\/em> the pandemic hit? This may be the most unconventional Valentine\u2019s Day yet and Gallery 1313\u2019s annual Sex Show<\/em> appears once again to lift spirits while simultaneously addressing contemporary issues on sex and intimacy. Gallery 1313 explains that the pandemic has had a large impact on dating, hook-ups, and long-term relationships, which have been strained further than ever. The show is eclectic, with Gallery 1313 prefacing that Hi Libido<\/em> takes on subjects ranging from sexual politics, to humorous pieces, to scientific works, to bondage, and to just about everything in a range of mediums including photography, painting, drawing, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craig Mahood\u2019s Functional Bathroom Erotica<\/em> is an operating urinal shaped like a man with his legs over his head, his face in a blissful expression. When I first saw this work, I immediately thought of Marcel Duchamp\u2019s famous work Fountain<\/em>, 1917 which is a urinal positioned alternately so that it no longer has its original use and then given a signature and a name. Mahood\u2019s urinal has additional sculpted elements and is fully functional, which is the opposite of Duchamp\u2019s work, but both artists seem to be using the concept of the readymade where ordinary objects are selected and modified, becoming art. Mahood reveals, \u201cI have always enjoyed taking mundane functional objects that are easily taken for granted and giving them a new life\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Craig Mahood, Functional Bathroom Erotica <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When describing the works Come Over<\/em> and What Can You Do To Me<\/em>, the artist, Kristen Stephen, points out that lust can intensify the sexual experience. In her black and white silhouette photographs she captures shadows of the female body where the viewer can imagine possible scenarios. When viewing these photographs, I thought of the shadow and how it is an anonymous state, not showing the details of someone\u2019s face. This format could easily cater to the gaze and the objectification of women, giving the work more layers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kristen Stephen, Come Over, black and white photograph., 8\u2033 x 10\u2033<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diana Rosa\u2019s artworks immediately catch the eye with her bold style and vibrant colors. Rosa writes that she \u201cemployed a Na\u00efve Folk-Art style to explore questions of identity, love, relationship and environment in our society\u201d. Fruit Connection<\/em>\u2019s merging of bodies and symbolic use of fruits creates a visually stimulating piece. It is important to remember that the painting goes further than what is represented physically, she tells us \u201cI think of my drawings as portraits of a soul, not an actual person\u2013pulling from the universal level instead of our clouded worldly view\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Diana Rosa, Fruit Connection, acrylic on canvas, 32\u2033 x 32\u2033<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phillip Hare\u2019s phallic mixed media works are on the lighter side of the art in this show. The forms are made of buttons, which are fitting as they are the trinkets that hold together and open up clothing, with the outline filled with googly eyes that look back at you with wide eyes. Hare explains that the work was inspired when the British Columbia CDC recommended using glory holes to reduce COVID transmission in July 2020. At first, the suggestion is laughable but given another moment\u2019s thought, you can\u2019t deny it makes sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Philip Hare, Glory Hole II, 2021, mixed media, 10\u201d x 12\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next surprise is a photograph of a giant set of shiny, plushie handcuffs. Naomi Brenneck says, \u201cI use humor and exaggeration in many of my pieces to soften the sometimes-jarring concept and make it an enjoyable object to look at\u201d. By making an ordinary object comically large, one\u2019s attention to it changes and, as the artist confirms, she uses this approach in art in order to promote sexual education and positivity, LGBTQ+ rights, and mental health issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Naomi Brenneck, Stuffed Handcuffs <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This show left me wanting one thing – more photos<\/em>. One is provided for each work but for me this was not enough to be able to fully drink in the details, making me pull my eyebrows together and crane my neck towards the screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallery 1313 stated that they hoped the show would cause a smile or a chuckle – and in this way Hi Libido<\/em> is successful. The online exhibition\u2019s range of artists and themes makes this show intriguing and surprising, leaving one feeling amused while also opening up discourse on broader topics and issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olivia Musselwhite<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images are\ncourtesy of Gallery 1313 and the artists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Exhibition information: Hi Libido<\/a>,<\/em> online group exhibition, February 3 \u2013 March 2021, celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day, Gallery 1313. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Olivia Musselwhite<\/strong><\/p>\n

The online exhibition\u2019s range of artists and themes makes this show intriguing and surprising, leaving one feeling amused while also opening up discourse on broader topics and issues. <\/p>\n

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