Erotic Art Fights Trump with Scenes of Female Pleasure

This article contains adult content. 

Porn and puns find common ground in yet another triumph of artistic protest against Donald Trump. HOTTER THAN JULY: Hands Off My Cuntry, which opens January 11th at Undercurrent Projects in New York, is a collaboration between 12 artists—Mike Cockrill, Lapis Danado, Annique Delphine, Adam Handler, Morgan Jesse Lappin, Joanne Leah, Nikki Peck, John Phelan, Alexandra Rubinstein, Courtney Frances Fallon, Jones the Savage, and the show’s curator, Savannah Spirit—who have channeled their post-election anger towards a sexy stand for women’s rights. Their works, self-described as “erotica to save our souls,” are a lethal combination of witticism and liberalism: both areas in which our President-elect is inarguably inadequate.

The show is the third installment of HOTTER THAN JULY, an erotic art show curated by Spirit over the past five years. For this year’s show, she says that addressing the election results through her show’s theme was a natural choice. “I really needed to direct my anger of how things have gotten out of hand into something positive,” Spirit tells The Creators Project. In the show’s mission statement, Spirit defines the show as a focused protest for laws protecting women and their rights, such as Roe vs. Wade, that are being threatened by the new administration. In keeping with this, 20% of the show’s sales will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Annique Delphine, The Yielding

“This exhibition is a bit raunchier than the other ones I’ve curated in the past,” Spirit continues. “It’s definitely angrier and not as safe. I thought that if I was scared about putting particular work in the show because it’s taboo or too much then I had to put it in.” This resolution has resulted in a show that pushes boundaries, even for an erotic art show. Take, for instance, the piece contributed by Alexandra Rubinstein: a loving likeness of President Barack Obama positioned just above the spread legs of a naked woman with the internet-friendly title, Thanks Obama.

“The goal is to take vaginas, sex, satire, politics and real life,” Spirit explains, “and mash it up together to send a message that we will fight all the way to keep what little rights we have. Also, that Trump stops by the show and tweets about it and says he loves it.”

Below, find work from Spirit and many of the other artists from HOTTER THAN JULY: Hands Off My Cuntry.

Joanne Leah, Bless this Mess

Mike Cockrill, Boy Scout Salute

Savannah Spirit, Film Strip

Nikki Peck, The Sleepover

Morgan Jesse Lappin, Job Training

Courtney Frances Fallon, I Fucking Love You

HOTTER THAN JULY: Hands Off My Cuntry runs from January 11 to January 22 at the Undercurrent Projects in the Bowery. Read more about the show here.

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