A History of Sex
New Works by Andres Serrano
Paula Cooper Gallery, NYC
March 1 - April 12, 1997
a review by
Karen Eliot
A History of Sex
(The Fisting) 1996
"I think God created the body for a reason and we were
meant to exploit it."
Andres Serrano
The artist as floating hetrotopia, a pirate ship, who raids
distant lands for beautiful things that can be sold at some other
port. Andres Serrano's "History of Sex" recalls this process of
exchange--he set off for the Netherlands to find his cargo of
"erotic utopias," precious bits of flesh for our too "normal"
sexuality. This series of large photographs negate the excess
of pornograhic seduction with his focus on the sacred blue Dutch
sky. It is the question of God, always a good reason for anything,
that makes this project just another pirate raid. The works are
presented as non-pornographic--because they are to expensive for
the average jerk-off--so the sacred gambit is played. The works
should have been presented as extremely clean hyperporn and nothing
more. Why hide the needs of the flesh behind his unnatural obsession
with religion.
Aesthetics and politics have always made a fetish of the impossibility
of God and sex--from Corbet's "The Orgin" to blocking porn on the WEB. This
long history of God in "Brothel Art" has constantly gotten in the way
of any artists showing the exquisite base materialism of the "great fuck."
Instead of setting off to sea and bringing back the beauty to be found in distant
brothels--Serrano exploited the colonies for the Church. The "History of Sex"
is art that follows the guidelines set up by St. Augustine in his "Confessions"
--transgress for the City of God and not for the cities of the flesh. Serrano
and the Pope have much in common in 90's.
Karen Eliot
"Brothels and colonies, here are two
extreme types of heterotopia. Think of the
ship: it is a floating part of space, a placeless
place, that lives by itself, closed in on it self
and at the same time poised in the infinite
ocean, and yet, from port to port, tack by tack,
from brothel to brothel, it goes as far as the
colonies, looking for the most precious things
hidden in their gardens. . . ."
A History of Sex
(Auto-Erotic)1996
A History of Sex
(The Kiss)1996
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William W. Potter -- Mavp@aol.com
Responds:
In regards to the photographs being to expensive for the average jerk-off; this is untrue since these images are so easily reproduced as is evidenced in this site. Ironically the history of sex seems have no sense of the history of pleasure.
James McArdle -- j.mcardle@bendigo.latrobe.edu.au
Responds:
Serrano does it again (and again?). It is hard to judge an exhibition form three images - but intriguing here is the edenic setting, the broad daylight, that removes this work (or at least two of them) from the claustrophobia of the cliche porn image
B. Zullen --
Responds:
I just think this is the most stupid work of Serrano
mgarcia -- mgarcia@students.miami.edu
Responds:
Serrano all ready had his "15 minutes of fame"
C. Gerstheimer -- Be Gerst@aol.com
Responds:
Interesting, but this work seems more an attempt to shock and disturb people than any meaningful commentary on religion or art. The technical quality of the photographs, done in a traditional conservative technique, could have been exploited to the artists advantage, but was most likely dismissed as being not controversial enough. Interesting, but only for shock value. Try again Andre.
K.H.Wagner -- Silke.Nitzsche@mms-dresden.telekom.de
Responds:
His work is very compromiseless. so as art has to be.
dana --
Responds:
interesting photos. i think they rely too heavily on shock value to make them attractive though.
joe --
Responds:
joe -- jptraina@aol.com
Responds:
the images are so strong in all serranos work such extremes isn't that art? maybe art of tomorrow but it is art to me today
Al -- ajn116@psu.edu
Responds:
"The Kiss" was quite shocking, but "a hummer" would have been beyond belief.
Jeffrey Goldsmith -- wordz@sirius.com
Responds:
Too true. http://www.sirius.com/~wordz/serrano.htm
Vanessa McColl -- bellys@hotmail.com
Responds:
There is always such a fine line between exporation and exploitation in art. Does anybody else see his total disconnection from his work, his ability to force the spectator into a voyeuristic position is incredible. After visiting the exhibition in Melbourne I must say that all offense aside, the images are quite stunning.
Belle -- princessleia800@hotmail.com
Responds:
once you get past the initial shock of the subject matter... asthethic qualities tone down the images.... Art is meant to evoke a response....isn't that what Serrano is doing????? Well if christians drink the blood of christ.....why the outrage over urine
Mitch Finn -- ubermitch@aol.com
Responds:
Serrano has been a great inspiration for me. From the fluids series to the klu klux klan photos and the pictures from the morgue, Serrano has shown such vividity and beauty in odd and sometimes horrifying images. It strikes a cord and makes us think of the things that make us who we are. (even if we don't like what we see) After all, that is what art is supposed to be about.
Mitch Finn -- ubermitch@aol.com
Responds:
Serrano has been a great inspiration for me. From the fluids series to the klu klux klan photos and the pictures from the morgue, Serrano has shown such vividity and beauty in odd and sometimes horrifying images. It strikes a cord and makes us think of the things that make us who we are. (even if we don't like what we see) After all, that is what art is supposed to be about.
Mitch Finn -- ubermitch@aol.com
Responds:
Serrano has been a great inspiration for me. From the fluids series to the klu klux klan photos and the pictures from the morgue, Serrano has shown such vividity and beauty in odd and sometimes horrifying images. It strikes a cord and makes us think of the things that make us who we are. (even if we don't like what we see) After all, that is what art is supposed to be about.
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Responds:
me -- webmaster@slutwives.com
Responds:
If you like serrano, you'll love my site. It's about...ummm...sexual self-determination through the violation of taboo. Yeeeeeaaah, that's it.
Gary Sciortino -- jjflash@rw1.rworld.com
Responds:
I really like your photographs and your treatment of the subject of sex. It seems as though the subjects are just ordinary people doing their thing, not prese4nted as being perverts or something
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Responds: