This multi-media show features photographs, sculptures, paintings, textiles, and mixed media pieces submitted by artists from across the United States, Canada and England. The nearly eighty contemporary artworks explore a range of topics including eroticism, body image, motherhood, gender, and the human figure.

Jurors for the exhibit are photographer Herbert Ascherman, Kinsey Institute art curator Catherine Johnson-Roehr, and gallery owner Pet Silvia.

Photos and radio interview from the opening reception, awardees and more..

Herbert Ascherman Jr., United States
Hermes, from The Mythology Series
Platinum print

Herbert Ascherman has been working as a fine art photographer for more than forty years, yet the photographs in this exhibition come from a body of personal work previously known to only a small group of friends and collectors. Selected from more than 400 original prints in the Institute’s permanent collection, these photographs represent Ascherman’s four decades of exploring human sexuality in all its fascinating variety.

The curator of this exhibition is Claude Cookman, an historian of photography and a professor in the School of Journalism at Indiana University in Bloomington. He says of Ascherman's work: “Based on the evidence in these photographs, people feel absolutely comfortable engaging in sexual play in front of Ascherman’s camera. From bondage to pony games, from the domination scene to expressive dance, as individuals, couples and groups, they abandon all inhibitions with this photographer. The result is a refreshing naturalism, shared not just with the photographer but all who feast on these images.”

On Friday, September 12th, there will be a public reception from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the Kinsey Institute Gallery. Herbert Ascherman Jr., will give a talk about his work at 7:00 pm in Morrison 007. Both events are free and open to the public.

The past exhibitions below have been made available online. A complete list of past exhibitions is available on this page.

• Kinsey Confidential
• Queer Projections
• Juried Erotic Art Show (Photos from Opening Receptions)
  • 2007 Show
  • 2006 Show
• Expressive Bodies
• Out of Russia: The Art of Chagall, Tchelitchew, & Avinoff
• Sex in the Cinema
• George Balanchine & His Dancers: The Ballet Photographs of George Platt Lynes

The Kinsey Institute Gallery showcases selected pieces from the Institute's extensive collection of art, artifacts, and photography. Past exhibitions include Sex Ed, Out of Russia, and Passionate Creatures.

Contribute to the Arts, Artifacts, & Photography Collections Today

Help support the Kinsey Institute Art, Artifact and Photography Collection and The Kinsey Institute Gallery through donations or by adopting a work of art for upcoming exhibits.

Contact the curator, Catherine Johnson-Roehr.