Carnival of Curiosity
08.Feb.2010

CARNIVAL OF CURIOSITY
Works by the Priestesses of the Holy Mountain

Opening Reception (FREE)
Friday, March 5, 2010

6pm – 9pm

Holy Mountain
Chicago, IL 60607

TO RSVP CONTACT:
Zaynab
Zaynab@HolyMountainChicago.com

Featured Artists: Mistress Kit, Mistress Yani, Miss Panic, Mistress Vashti, Lil’ Princess, Mistress Alice, aynia, Mistress Deliya, Mistress Lucinda, Lily Hex, Kristie Alshaibi & Usama Alshaibi, with performance by Cabaret of the Nameless

Holy Mountain is a woman owned and run studio for BDSM (bondage discipline/ dominance submission/ sadomasochism) located in the West Loop. For the first time since its inception in September 2008, it is opening its doors to the public for a premiere art exhibition. This debut event will feature the work of the many women who rent the space for Pro Domination.

Carnival of Curiosity is intended to bring a new audience into an environment they might not otherwise explore, and to showcase the talents of a collective of Pro Dominas who already contribute to Chicago’s artistic zeitgeist in their own ways. The overall tone is bold, celebratory and unabashed with a few very challenging works in the mix.

On the walls you’ll see the photography of Mistress Kit (right), the “official” photographer of Holy Mountain who attends events and forms artist/muse relationships with the lovely ladies who frequent the space. Her work is reminiscent of 1970s candids, printed in black and white with an air of voyeuristic titillation.

Also featured are paintings by Mistress Yani (above left). Her busy mural-like works on paper look like they are taunting the viewer with bright neon colors and graffiti splashes of metallic paint. Bouncing naked clown-face characters emerge from jazzy chaos.

Continuing the playful mood Miss Panic’s paintings on wood and canvas burst with electric blues and hot pinks. Human (or human-like) faces greet the viewer with poppy confidence.

Quietest among the works on paper, but also the most detailed, are Mistress Vashti’s large drawings. “No Moonlight” (pictured left) has an eerie glow and “3 Moons” is lush and tactile.

In the 3D realm, Lil’ Princess (featured on Jerry Springer for her clown sex fetish) charms us with sparkling sequins, googly-eyes, and ruffles, toying with the idea of “fetish” in the original sense of the word. Her eight dolls are reminiscent of the works of Haitian artists such as Peirrot Barra. Their plastic heads sit atop elaborate dresses – little goddess-like figures adorned with pills, tiny babies, logos, flowers and cigarettes.

Much of the art in Carnival of Curiosity is wearable. Mistress Alice takes mad millinery to new levels, and aynia expresses her inner demons through hand-crafted masks. Mistress Deliya carefully crochets bondage items such as arm binders, hoods, and (ahem)“package” cozies. And though not wearable, Mistress Alice’s drawings based upon outlandish costume designs (left) certainly command attention.

Some of the artwork will be utterly edible. A giant delectable human birthday cake will fill one corner of the main playroom as the performers of Cabaret of the Nameless (pictured below right) splosh themselves into a giant heap of sexy sugar sweetness. Other pastries and vegan baked goods will be available to sample and purchase as well.

The carnivorous side of carnival is covered by Mistress Lucinda’s Meat Market series – an aesthetically intriguing group of photographs taken on the streets of Safi in Morocco. She also takes a stab at the carnal with her porno collage series and the challenging humor of her Baby Book, which combines images of infant innocence with fully erect man meat.

For those with a love for the literary, Lily Hex (a.k.a. Evil Tart) will release her new book, a hardback edition of poetry and short stories about lovers. Holy Mountain founder Kristie Alshaibi will also have some of her own art available for sale, including a collaborative book made with her husband Usama. A History of Flying Vaginas is a stencilprinted limited edition written in the form of a children’s book.

And finally Holy Mountain will be celebrating the Pre-Release of its first DVD compilation, Solar Anus Cinema, short films by Usama Alshaibi. Alshaibi has been called the “contemporary master of transgressive cinema” and some of the films on the DVD feature the Priestesses of Holy Mountain. Copies will be available for purchase at the opening reception.