COVE

DISPLAY: 

If I could have this as an actual installation, there are multiple things I would like to accomplish. Sexuality and sexual freedom are very important aspects of the human experience and I would like to showcase that in how this art is put up and represented.  I believe a beautifully intricate room would be the start. I would have the colors be off white on the walls and floor with an intricate lace-like pattern on the floor. I believe it would have beautiful white trim. The lighting is what I would like to experiment with. I would like to try different colors, maybe vibrant blues, pinks, purples, and a different abnormal color such as yellow, as a way to celebrate and express the unique human experience that is sexuality. Male, female, everything in between and out of that is what needs to be expressed in any discussion of sexuality or sexual freedom. Being yourself is one of the key points of sexual freedom and sexual acceptance. Regardless, I would like to have heavy intricate light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. I would like to have smaller lights strung on lights in between as a way to cover a lot of ground and accentuate the artwork. They would be white as to not take away from the other lighting. I think having the paintings simply put on the wall but be incredibly large, 20 ft wide and tall, as well as have golden framing. All of them would have similar framing, and would have colored lights behind the frame. I would have them go in order from lef, center back wall, to right. I would have small plates that have information on them near the paintings; stuff like the artist and the name of the painting. I would also like to have someone reading something over the loud speaker as they’re looking at the paintings. I would like maybe to have people come and offer their testimonials of their own views and experiences with sexual freedom. It would be a very personal human experience that most people can relate to. The largeness of the paintings and the framing would show the attempt to encompass all of the human experience. I want people to feel small in the view of the paintings, to prove that their experiences are bigger than just them, and that everyone has their own way of life and sexuality. I would have pamphlets too with anonymous stories that I would get in advance also. That can be something you read on your way home or look back on later in life, maybe just to be kept as a reminder. If I didn’t have them talking over the speakers, I would definitely have gentle soft music playing. I would like to create a relaxing atmosphere that enables people to accept what they’re seeing much easier. Classical music would work but I don’t have any song in mind off the top of my head. I feel like the emptiness of the room would really bring out the paintings and framework.

INSTALLATION NOTE: 

All of the paintings I was given have multiple people in a group nude as the main central focus. There is a lot of openness to their positions in the paintings. A lot of their arms are open or up in the air, revealing breast and open clothing. The openness could be an invitation, or a sign that they are reclaiming their own sexuality, showing off their sexual freedom. They could also hide their nudity, maybe of shame; this could be a representation of society as a whole; that sexual freedom is not something that is freely accepted by everyone. The philosophy of sexual freedom instills the belief that individuality and the ability to make whatever decision you want with your body.  I believe that my installation can be something that represents society. A lot of the figures are open, with arms outstretched and bodies in relaxing positions. This shows the openness and acceptance we could have if given the opportunity. Self-acceptance is one of the cornerstones of sexuality as a whole. The connection between sexual freedom and freedom of the self is often shown through art as the human body, which I think these paintings do. Their understanding of these things is chosen through their choice of color, shading, style, and materials used. The human body itself is treated as an object of desire, an object of sin, but these paintings refute that. They have their characters standing strong and proud, or relaxed and content, despite their gratuitous nudity. The symbolism they use, such as the objects and background, help accentuate this point. Art also is a reflection of the culture at the time; you could see this as a triumphant stand against negative sexual culture of the time, or a representation of how they really felt that has been brought out through their art work. I believe that this type of art is a staple of empowerment. Human nudity is very typically shamed and treated as something abhorrent or disgusting, however these paintings treat it with such a sense of normalcy. It can give individuals who might have mixed feelings about the subject maybe reach a sense of liberation in terms of their sexuality. Maybe they realize that it is normal, natural, and within human instinct to express sexuality normally. Art, in itself, is great for celebrating and sometimes even challenging one’s sexual freedom. It can appeal to anyone, and in turn, allows for exploration and broader acceptance for sexuality. Treating sexuality with normality is what I believe the painting’s inner theme to be about. Empowerment and vulnerability are both very important aspects of sexuality.  Erotic art allows artists to express their own values and views on sexuality, as well as desire and sensuality. These paintings can celebrate the beauty of the human body, as well as provide a place for viewers to deconstruct their own views and values of sexuality. Their personal experiences as people can also shape their work, reflecting their values indirectly, as is shown in this art.