Things are heating up in Düsseldorf. Lust, fetish, and porn — the NRW-Forum invites with the exhibition “Sex Now” to discover “lust, bodies and desire in all their complexity.” Beginning September 5, the show will present sexually charged artworks, virtual stimulators, feminist porn films, app-controlled high-tech sex toys — and worn socks (TheColu.mn reported).
So delicate is the balancing act between art and porn that the NRW-Forum found itself in discussions with police and prosecutors to determine what qualifies as pornographic or artistic for certain works. The result: about a month before the opening, the venue decided that the entire exhibition would be restricted to visitors 18 and older. “Sex Now” displays “artistic works with explicit sexual content,” the NRW-Forum explained to justify the heightened youth protection.
Sex Permeates the Entire History of Art
The NRW-Forum has, for several years, focused on pop and digital culture and has drawn attention with shows about “superheroes” from comics and cinema. Now it’s time, once again, to mount an exhibition about sex, according to artistic director Alain Bieber.
“Without sex, none of us would be here,” he says. “Sex permeates the entire history of art and design.” And sexuality is political too. Worldwide, sexual freedom and education are under pressure. Diversity initiatives are being scaled back, and in Germany the debate continues over whether rainbow flags should be flown or not.
Even staff from the cultural education department and supervisors were trained for the sex exhibition because the topics are politically and socially controversial, Bieber notes. It was important to bring all employees on board, because you can quickly gauge how open someone is to the subject of sex. There were also funny moments during preparation, with colleagues wondering, “Why are there suddenly about 20 sex toys lying around?”
From Beate Uhse to the Virtual Sex Simulator
The show explores many dimensions of sexuality: it includes the sexual revolution of the 1960s with a 1969 atlas of sex education, a Beate Uhse catalog, and the “Schulmädchenreport,” but also “Fleshie Fountain,” a contemporary installation by queer artist Peaches. Silicone sex toys originally designed for male self-pleasure are transformed into autonomous beings that pleasure one another.
In a digital game with VR headsets, visitors can assume different bodies, design their own gender traits, and engage in erotic relationships with one another — with mutual consent presumed. The sex- and love-simulator in virtual space was developed by 3D artist Miyö van Stenis.
At interactive stations, guests can test knowledge about myths and facts surrounding sex. The “Sexoscope” offers forecasts about the future of sexuality. Alongside erotic sculptures and accessories, the show also features garments from a fetish online platform: worn socks or underwear with traces of bodily fluids.
It’s Also About Education
Education is a core aim: an art collective has created genital models made from colorful fabric and glitter that can be assembled. On topics of sexuality, education and knowledge are crucial to preventing misunderstandings, says curator Bieber. There is still a lot of ignorance, especially among younger people.
The NRW-Forum aims to open spaces for conversations that are rarely held. Queer identities, female desire, pornography, and power structures are all addressed. It’s also a political statement: the #MeToo chapter brings together artistic positions on violence, abuse of power, and sexual assault.
“The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife”
Sex has long been a thread through art history. The exhibit includes a reproduction of the famous Japanese print by the renowned artist Hokusai (1760–1849), associated with the erotic Japanese art form Shunga. It depicts a naked woman being pleasured by two octopuses. Bieber notes that the image still provokes and shocks today just as it did two centuries ago.
Today, sex is also a matter for designers. A Cologne-based startup has developed a riding cushion, and the company was awarded a prize by North Rhine-Westphalia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. “That it has arrived in the mainstream of society is clear,” Bieber says.
Porn Cinema and Erotic Platform
A small porn cinema is included in the exhibition — films from feminist porn producers such as Erika Lust and Paulita Pappel will be shown. The films are edited to be less explicit, Bieber explains. “Sex Now” aims to counter patriarchal structures that shape the representation of desire in commercial pornography by foregrounding a female perspective.
Accompanying the exhibition, the NRW-Forum is launching its own account on the adult platform OnlyFans. There, behind-the-scenes glimpses and a selection of works will be shared uncensored.
“What does sexual self-determination mean today? Who decides what is desirable? How do technologies change our relationships and our understanding of closeness?” These questions are what “Sex Now” asks, Bieber says. “And hopefully people will leave the exhibition more informed.”
