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Last Updated:
Feb 2nd, 2010 - 13:42:13 |
Dirty Show XI
Still Bawdy Bawdy
Yeah, we love finding cool opening quotes whenever the Dirty Show reappears . Makes us feel like John Simon or Clive Barnes. Anyway let's get on with it ...
The Dirty Show, that wicked and winking Valentine that Detroit unwraps every February in celebration of Eros, is once again upon us. And once again, Bert's Warehouse will revel in the bacchanalian wisdom of the senses, the Eastern Market will assume a rich aura of decadence for several nights, and Jerry Vile will (no doubt) complain that his torrid toga party is still getting short shrift from the critical establishment. Welcome, people, to the sexual metro!
For those who need a brief history lesson (new readers, perhaps, or out-of-town visitors still lingering after that automotive Tupperware party), let the following dubious legendry suffice: 11 years ago, Jerry Vile, Jeremy Harvey and several other bon vivants decided that what this town desperately needed was an enema to cleanse out the puritanical prurience of our Midwestern soul. They envisioned an art exhibit that would look at sex with an uncompromising, honest and hilarious spirit. They imagined a house-is-not-a-home housewarming that would give Detroit's painters, photographers and performance artists an opportunity to really let their hair down. Like every single follicle, dig? And according to the best of all possible sources, most, if not all of this, was initially set down on a cocktail napkin that Vile found in his desk.
And for those in the know, let us merely summarize what we've already written well before the advent of DS XI.
This is the one art show that refuses to be trapped in either a category or a popular assumption. It is a serious exhibit on a serious subject and a visual orgy for unabashed eyes. It is academic and it is puerile. It's as romantic as a Shakespearean sonnet and as raunchy as a limerick. It's a gathering of artists from all around the world and the single best party you'll ever experience in the city of Detroit.
Sexuality as an artistic subject is old news for the creative muse — has been, in fact, ever since apple blossom time in Adam's backyard. What is often overlooked is that sexuality (in the full gamut of that word's meaning) embraces every core element and subtext of the human condition. You may look at a painting and see little beyond a nicely trimmed origin of the world. The woman on your right may see the origin of her own identity and the gentleman on your left is drawing indirect lines in his head that touch upon the laissez faire of the modern global economy. The person behind you with his hands deep in his pockets? Well ... to each his own.
And let Jerry Vile himself beat the drum loudly before we meet you and others at the show.
"Dirty Show® 2010 will be the year of the performance artist, we are pulling out the stops this year, some of this will be talked about for years. And with four guest curators plus the talent we brought back from L.A., I can't even begin to start on the artists. This is going to be an amazing show. And let people know Dirty is responsible for bringing the works of France's Frederic Fontenoy to the U.S. for the first time. How do you like them apples, New York?" | RDW
The Dirty Show • 2/12-20 • Bert’s Warehouse Theater, 2739 Russell Street, Detroit • Opening night is Friday, February 12th, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. (21 +) • Saturday, February 13th, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. (21+) • Sunday, February, 14th, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. (18+), Friday, February 19th, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. (18+), Saturday, February 20th, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. (18+)$15 • Dirtyshow.org
Memories Light The Corners Of Their Minds...
JULIA GALA COHL / Artist:
"I remember participating in the 2004 show. A man from Toledo stood in front of my painting and spent 40 minutes telling me how much he liked it, and what he thought it 'meant,' and how 'excited' it made him — and I just smiled and said thanks and cursed Jerry for cutting back on security guards again!"
JEF BOURGEAU / Artist and founding director of MONA:
"This may have been in 2003, I'm not sure. But ... oh, shocking! Nude in high heels with a tray of drinks. Could only look at her shoes. The sperm bank? Couldn't make any deposits, because there were two open windows for voyeurs — and I simply can't work with critics or hecklers."
KEVIN LEPINE / Entertainer — The Uncensored Comedy Hypnosis Show:
I was watching a piercing demonstration and my friend remarks, "Gee, that's real torture!" I looked at him and said, "I'm a hypnotist with professional ethics and tonight I'm surrounded by beautiful, semi-naked women! Don't talk to me about torture!"
JIMMY DOOM / Actor and Spoken
Word Artist:
"The logistics are always a nightmare, but sometimes you get an unexpected bonus. I found myself sharing a backstage 'dressing room' with a number of burlesque performers several years ago, and one of them — Roxi D’Lite, no less — was kind enough to say that she had heard me perform and thought I was very funny. Explaining that wonderful smile to a girlfriend later on was, well, a little difficult."
LISOLETTE GILCREST / Artist:
"The Dirty Show embodies Detroit — from the performance art to the talented local artists who contribute the most incendiary and provoking material you will ever see. Our works are displayed (equally and prominently) alongside pieces by some of the most noted names in the international art world, demonstrating once again that Detroit can hang with the best of them."
ANONYMOUS BLONDE IN A ROYAL OAK BAR:
"My only memory of the Dirty Show involves my ex-boyfriend. It was — screw that, let me get to the point. Ladies, FYI: If a guy takes you on your first date to the Dirty Show (and on Valentine's Day, no less), then run! Run like you stole something and don’t stop running!"
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