For some full exposure to art that guarantees full exposure, check out the new exhibit at The Confluence in Twisp: “Dirty Little Pictures” promises, as curator Penelope Varn notes, “to celebrate the human form and all its variations of physical expression.”
As the promotional poster declares, “viewer discretion is advised.” The exhibit runs Jan. 12 through March 5.
In her curator’s statement, Varn says that participating artists “were given almost total latitude within the confines of the show’s theme — as it should be, with a show celebrating freedom of expression.”
“The contributing artists were asked to shine their creative lights on the shadows cast by shame,” Varn says. “Shame is a social emotion, unlike happiness and sadness, and is learned through socialization within the confines of group norms that define a given culture’s moral code. It is wielded, overtly and covertly, by parents, peers, organizations and governments, to enforce cohesion to those norms and to discourage individuality and freedom of expression.
“Sexual shame is ubiquitous; no one escapes its clutches entirely. It is with each of us from birth to death, in varying degrees of severity and consciousness. From the diaper to the shroud, modesty, discretion and conformity are elevated; any departure from those values is shamed with a vengeance.
“For those free spirits who dare to flout the strictures of convention, shame awaits – and is gleefully dispensed by those unaware that their own psyches suffer the very pain they aspire to inflict upon others, along with the added chains of resentment, envy and longing. Here’s to a new future for ‘filthy’ in the minds of those who view this show,” Varn concludes.
For more information, email info@confluencegallery.org or call contact 997-2787. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
