Kinsey’s exhibit features architecture

When you think about sex, do you also consider architecture?

The consideration of architecture and how it communicates ideas of sex, gender and the erotic is exactly what the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction has in mind with “Naked Spaces,” its newest exhibition.

“We could very easily have a show that dealt with sex and reproduction,” said Catherine Johnson-Roehr, Kinsey Curator of Arts, Artifacts and Photographs. “Just last fall was ‘Gender Expressions,’ which showed how artists dealt with questions of gender. It’s very direct to what we do.”

When guest curator Susan Johnson-Roehr, who earned a Ph.D. in architectural history from the University of Illinois, suggested using architecture as the exhibition’s theme, Catherine said she was skeptical as to whether the Kinsey collection would have enough material to fill the space.

To her surprise, many of Kinsey’s pieces featured architecture, whether it was a photo of a Parisian sex shop or a painting of an intimate moment with the Egyptian Pyramids in the distance. The collection of pieces became so substantial that many works would not fit in the gallery.

“[Susan] wanted to focus on exterior imagery, so when we started looking we found we had quite a bit of material,” Catherine said. “Some of the pieces have no people in them at all – the artist wanted to use architecture to show sexuality. It’s a fascinating collection of material.”

Vincent Cianni’s series “Landscapes of Desire” is an example of a piece with no people present. The photos depict deserted structures, such as an aviary, that do not appear sexual in nature until the viewer learns Cianni had sought out locations where he knew sexual activity had occurred.

Viewers can also take in the bright colors of one of Emilio Sanchez’s pieces. A painting of a small house shows no sexual imagery or figural works, but Sanchez himself was a gay artist who lived in New York City and died in 1999.

Not only does the collection span many interpretations of sexuality and architecture, but it also spans many countries and centuries.

The oldest piece in the gallery, “Massacre of the Innocents” by Marcantonio Raimondi, dates back to 1509 when Renaissance artists were interested in reviving the nude as a suitable topic for art.

“It’s fun to do a show like this that is so international and spans such a length of time,” Catherine said.

The collection will be on view in the gallery until April 5. The Kinsey Institute’s viewing hours are from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but for those with a busy mid-week, the gallery will have an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 2 in conjunction with the PRIDE Film Festival.

The Kinsey Institute is located in Morrison Hall at 1165 E. 3rd St.

“I hope that people leave this show with their eyes opened a bit,” Catherine said. “It shows you that sex and sexuality is a part of the human experience and culture, and architecture is something that we exist in as well.”