‘Naughty but Nice’ a Gay Group Show in Amsterdam
Naughty but Nice
The Naughty but Nice, a group exhibition by artists based in Holland, runs August 1 – September 12, 2010
Chantz Perkins and The ABC Treehouse, Amsterdam invite you to:
The opening reception of Naughty But Nice
Sunday August 1, 2010 at 4-6pm, ABC Treehouse, Voetboogstraat 11, 1012 Amsterdam, Holland.
The exibition is open weekly: Thursday – Sunday, 13:00 to 18:00. It is curated by Harald Seiwert and Rene Zuiderveldt.
What is gay art in 2010?
‘Naughty but Nice’ is the follow-up to the groundbreaking exhibition ‘Happy’, which began in 2006 as the largest exhibition of gay and lesbian artists in the Netherlands, and by its fourth edition (2009) had grown enough to question its own premise: what, actually, is ‘gay’ art?
In the press release of the 2010 exhibition the curators are asking themselvs: ‘Are we helping, or stereotyping, the artist by promoting him/her in a ‘gay’ exhibition? […] – Exploring this question, the curators […] (Harald Seiwert and Rene Zuiderveld) and the director of the ABC Treehouse (Donna DuCarme) came to the conclusion that many people, when thinking of ‘gay art’, imagine erotic poses and skimpily clad models, but this begs a further question: Why is a photo of a buffed, underwear-clad man ‘advertising’, when it’s a giant billboard on Broadway, but ‘gay’ when it’s a photograph hanging on the Treehouse walls?
Then further: why does a 400 year old nude elicit praise and critical analysis, but photos of a nude 60 year old woman elicit outrage and criticism? When are high heels high fashion, and when are they kinky? Can one man’s gay art be another woman’s romantic pose? Would a rose still look as sweet, when painted by someone who doesn’t share your sexual orientation?’
‘Naughty but Nice’ is exploring erotic art, and gender/sexual identification by presenting works of gay, lesbian and straight artists. These artists, in accepting this challenge, challenge all of us, in turn, to look at our ideas of gender, sexuality, and art.
The above nude drawing is made by American sculptor and lesbian Chantz Perkins. You can see Chantz’ drawings at the exhibition.