by Ron Evans

This January saw the opening of a conversation-starting art show at Confluence Gallery in Twisp. “Filthy Little Pictures” — a title we will talk more about in a bit — is a group art show featuring works of erotica, the nude form and sexual expression.

“The contributing artists were asked to shine their creative lights on the shadows cast by shame and to celebrate the human form and all its variations of physical expression. 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.” says curator Penelope Varn.

I reached out to Varn to chat about this exhibit (which will run through March 5th) and to see how the locals reacted to such a prominent public display of Filthy Little Pictures.

Tell us a little about your background in the arts, and your role at Confluence Gallery.

I have been on the board of Confluence Gallery for several years and in the past couple of years, I’ve been on the gallery’s show committee, which concepts and curates all the shows (to be clear, each curator on the committee concepts his/her shows and pitches them to the committee, which votes on the ideas once a year at its annual meeting, in which we plan all the shows for the coming year).

Before that, I was on the board of Coyote Central, a Central District arts organization in Seattle. My professional background is print journalism. I was an energy reporter for maybe a decade; I have a masters from University of Texas (at Austin) journalism school. In undergrad, I studied art history and languages with the goal of becoming an art dealer. I also have been an oil painter, but I don’t throw those pearls before swine.

Tell us how and when the concept for Filthy Little Pictures arose?

I had been pushing the show committee for two or three years to have another erotic art show. Maybe a decade ago, the gallery had an erotic art show, called XX-XY, I think. It caused quite a stir in the community, which can tend toward the provincial. I think the (non-profit) gallery only lost one donor over it, in spite of a 4-foot-long blue penis sticking out of the wall. Anyway, I had pitched an erotic art show last year, with the title “Stains on the Bed,” but nobody would go for it — probably because the title scared some of the more cautious committee members. Then this year, I pitched Filthy Little Pictures, and the show committee decided it was time for Twisp to have another erotic art show.

It’s really a rather tame show — in fact, I was hoping for less tame than what resulted. But the way I run my shows is that I give artists my theme, and let them use my theme as the rails for their artistic vision — then just let them run with it. I’m not a dictator about it. It’s art, and art is about individuality and personal freedom, sort of like Nick Cage’s jacket in Wild at Heart.

How many artists are featured in Filthy Little Pictures - are they all local?

About 22 artists, half local, the other half regional, except for Benjamine Lester, who hails from Dallas, Texas.

Even when presented as art in a gallery exhibition - nudity and sexuality always seem to be somewhat controversial. What has the response from the community been like for this exhibit? Has there been any hesitation or resistance against presenting it?

Initially, the Confluence board of directors and Executive Director, Kaileah Akker expressed worry about community reaction to the show, but we have had almost no negative reaction. This time around, the community embraced an erotic art show — so it appears Twisp has come around in terms of accepting freedom of artistic expression.

I’m sure there are many things you’d love to see come from this exhibit, but if you had to choose one thing - because some annoying magazine publisher asks you to - what would that be?

I would love for this show to broaden people’s horizons in terms of embracing freedom of visual expression and for artists in particular to experience community acceptance of erotic works. I think we could regress into a Neo-Puritanism — given the political climate — if we aren’t, as a society, careful. I hope in some small measure, this show eases us toward a more inclusive and less censorious future.

The phrase Filthy Little Pictures certainly gets my attention. It also looks great on a poster. Talk a little about the title of this exhibit.

A lot of my show ideas spring from my ideas for titles (like The Color of Words, a previous show that featured visual interpretations of literary works). This time around, though, I heard the voice of my mother, a rather prim Southern Belle (now a dead one), who would have said of, say, Benjamine Lester’s piece, titled “Catch,” “Now that is just plain filthy.” As a kid, I took great humor in that word. So when I was concepting the show, with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, I insisted on titling the show “Filthy Little Pictures” as a way of appropriating the phrase that someone like my mother would employ in her description of the show.

I think you can go onto my original FB post announcing the show — when I posted the show flyer — and you can see two people beating up the show title. They could not grasp that the title was born of humor mixed with appropriation.

Have there been any surprises in the reactions or conversations you have witnessed from guests as they make their way through the pieces on display?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any good anecdotes for this question. All the feedback I’ve personally received from the show has been positive. Maybe that is because we put a “Viewer Discretion Advised” sign on the front of the gallery to avoid anyone being caught unaware by a genital or two — which means that only people WANTING to see genitals would be in the gallery.

Tell us about the work of curating art for exhibitions. Do you have a set process for finding new art and creators that excite you? Or is it a bit more varied?

I don’t have a set process. I’m sort of “abstract random” in the way I do things. This show was open call because I wanted any artist who desired to create work for this show to be able to; the show was about freedom of expression; I wanted to provide a platform for anyone who wanted to engage in that freedom. Usually, however, my shows are invitation only and I have a vision for the way I want the show to look, so I select artists whose styles work with that vision. I also try to find artists whose work is new to the community, so I tend to look outside of the local pool for new talent.

Do you encourage artists to reach out about exhibiting their work at Confluence Gallery outside of open calls? And is there any advice you could offer to artists who are maybe intimidated about approaching galleries?

I always encourage artists to register with the gallery’s Call to Artists list, so that they can see upcoming opportunities to exhibit their work. If I have a new artist approach me with her work, I will also send it around to Kaileah and Joanne Marracci, the show committee boss. And if a new artist’s work gets on my radar, I will try to work it into the shows I curate, whenever the work is suitable. In fact, one new artist who approached me a few years ago, Victoria Weber — her work was so stunning that I concepted “Cascadia” just to put her on the cover of a show. And that show turned out to be one of the gallery’s biggest selling shows ever.

Advice for artists about approaching galleries — the worst that can happen is that a gallery boss or curator says “No.” The most successful artists and writers have heard “No” probably more than any other type of professional. So you have to relax, say to yourself “Who the fuck cares if they tell me ‘no’?” then send in your work for shows in exactly the way the gallery asks you to. Make sure your work fits the show theme and make sure you read all the submission guidelines.

Is there typically a selection process for submissions to these group exhibits? Tell us about that process.

For invitation-only shows, the curator contacts each of the artists she wants in her show and asks them. Then she sends the artists who say yes a set of submission guidelines, a gallery contract for artists, a show timeline and stuff like that. For shows that are “Open Call,” artists register on the Confluence Gallery web site to receive “Calls to Artists” for upcoming shows. Then when they get a call that fits their style, they just follow the directions to submit their work. Then, the curator will individually tell them if their work will be accepted for the show.

What’s coming up next for Confluence Gallery when Filthy Little Pictures wraps up?

“Biophilia: A Love Story,” which focuses on the connections between all living beings, and the fading, but innately human instinct to connect with nature. The show will open on April 30th and run through June 12th, 2022.

Do you have a dream project/exhibit you’d like to see come to fruition maybe a bit further down the road?

Actually I have an upcoming show that is my dream show, called “The Opposite of Entropy,” in late fall of 2022. It will be an abstract show, featuring Don DeLeva, David Hytone, Whiting Tennis, Vern White, Brian Scholdt, and other abstract artists. Also my dream as a collector — I’m dying to get my hands on some of this work that will be featured, and hang it in my own house.

A FEW ARTIST COMMENTS:

“I was inspired by Penelope’s vision of bringing to light the perceived “shame” that has been put upon us by society over the years, decades, centuries. Humans have bodies. Bodies have biological imperatives to perpetuate the species (pretty much true for every living thing). And we have certain tools and desires to get this accomplished. Someone decided along the way that we should be ashamed of this body and its directive to procreate (or at least participate in the various rituals, even if having a baby is not the main objective). I loved creating pieces that might help dispel the taboo of being ashamed of what we are and how we do it with the “tools” we have. In my little peep shows, I wanted to instill a bit of levity on what some consider a heavily loaded subject. The vagina as a miraculous organ, the penis and its pliable nature, and Bondage as a means to an end. Sex should be fun! And whatever way a person needs to get off (between consenting adults and within legal limits) is fine with me.” ~ Joanne Marracci

“From the very beginning of my artistic journey, I have always been drawn to the nude form. I, and many other artists with a similar calling, experience backlash and even hostility when displaying our artwork in public and even social media. That is what I love about this show! “Filthy Little Pictures” - perfect satire describing what our work is so often referred to. People come to this show primed to expect the taboo, but what they find is an open mind to experience the beauty these talented artists bring through their calling. Because, we will not paint just trees. We will use bare chests, genitals and buttock to explain our experiences being human; and all the pain, joy, sorrow, sexuality and vulnerability our talents will allow.” ~ Benjamine Lester

“I have worked with Penelope in a number of shows and had the pleasure of doing commissioned work for her also. I enjoy the confrontational aspects of erotic art. Nothing seems to scare people more than their naked bodies, yet human sexuality is one of the foremost aspects of our existence. It is reflected in our art, media, music, culture, and everyday connections with our fellow humans. To be included in a show that addressed this subject was a true pleasure. That said I really dig porno.” ~Vern White (Vblast)

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