Small ceramic figures in various states of languorous undress populate Wexler Gallery’s upstairs space in “The Hermaphrodites: Living in Two Worlds.” The group show, like rabbits in spring, has sex on its mind. Beautifully crafted, delicately painted and glazed, the statuettes by Tip Toland, Chris Antemann and others depict men, women and double-gendered beings who kiss and caress and expose little aroused body parts.
As you tower over them, these naughty cousins of Royal Doulton figurines reveal an animal strangeness. Their elfin size and theatrical, boudoir sexual displays make these creatures exotic and highly charged. Guest curator Leslie Ferrin posits “The Hermaphrodites” as a metaphorical show about dualities, like the duality of ceramics, which has one foot in the world of craft and the other in the world of high art. But this lofty conceptual conceit is a mere add-on to the steamy atmosphere of eros that is the larger presence in the show. (Read this at the Weekly)
“The Hermaphrodites: Living in Two Worlds. First Friday opening, April 2, 5-8pm. Through May 1. Wexler Gallery, 201 N. Third St.
