This month’s exhibit in the Aprhodite Gallery is a multimedia collection of collages, illustrations, paintings and paddles by local female supremacist and inspired D/s player, “Lady Laura” Aceto.
See this exhibit in the Aphrodite Gallery (3rd fl. Sexploratorium, 620 S. 5th St. Philadelphia) any day between noon and 10PM (Note the gallery closes 1 hour for private meetings on Monday and Tuesday nights).
In the meantime, get to know Lady Laura with this interview about her life and loves- and don’t miss the chance to meet her in person during her March 26th reception (below).
What inspires? Ho
w does this inspiration manifest itself in your work?
Sexually, I am inspired by the human form, particularly female curves & folds, with the added appeal of power exchange, surrender, binding and corporal punishment (experienced from both D/s perspectives). I’m not a vanilla kind of girl! Same goes for artistic inspiration. When I am active in my kink, my art becomes more prolific and alive. The fire down below fuels the creative fire and cheeks are aglow!
- Knife and Apple:
Acrylic on 11×14″
canvas board $168
How are sex and art related?
They both come from the human core; they’re messy and complicated and frustrating and exhilarating and indescribably delicious! For me, art is life-giving, creating makes me feel alive on a basic gut level — the way sex makes me feel. My art mirrors my sex life and they are mutually inspired.
How does the work you do now compare with the work you did
- Red and Black:
Acrylic on stretched canvas
$968
five years ago? Where do you see your work taking you in five years? My work is much bolder and more confident these days; I’m not apologetic for its subject matter and not embarrassed by its erotic overtones. I’m going to continue my goal of mainstreaming fetish/erotic art to make it more widely accepted and appreciated, as with my kinky still life paintings. I want to explore depicting S&m /erotic power exchange, and continue exalting the Fem Dom persona for everywoman to relate to in all its glory!
How do you define erotic art? What are the most prominent erotic elements in your art? What are the erotic messages in your current collection?
Erotic art can be found everywhere you look, just take in Georgia O’Keefe’s or Mapplethorpe’s flowers, then look closely at your own surroundings. I see eroticism in the hills & valleys of a landscape, a gem-tone piece of satin, a lusciously ripe piece of fruit, a soft caressing shadow — everywhere! I like to mix overtly erotic references such as S&m /fetish items with every day things, as my way of acknowledging life as art, art as life in all its variations, including our very human erotic natures.
Title: “Red & Black” Medium: Acrylic on stretched canvas, 18×24 Price: $996
The inspiration for all of my fetish still life paintings is wanting to infuse a little kink into vanilla aesthetics, to “spice things up” as it were. Mixing traditional still life subjects such as vases of flowers, fruits, dishes and fabric with less traditional s&m/fetish subjects such as boots & high heels, knives, nipple clamps, leather collars, garter belts & stockings offers a wide array of visual possibilities. One of my goals with these still life paintings is to give fellow “kinksters” an opportunity to own and display fine art that represents their interests, without being blatant and requiring them to take them down when visitors come calling.
While the works are certainlly not PG rated, they are more subtle than a lot of other erotic art and can be appreciated for composition and skillful rendering, as well as content for those who are tuned in to the lifestyle.
Bitch Goddess I - Paper collage and acrylic on 9x12" canvas $418
All of my collage work thus far has centered on Female Domination/Supremacy, with a nod to animal instincts! The Female images created from magazine clippings (doing my part for Mother Earth by recycling) are commanding, confident, and somewhat menacing. “Bitch Goddess I” and “Catspirations” were my first of the series, and I had great fun assembling them. They inspired me to create more humorous homages to Female Supremacy, as well as fueling my interest in creating 3-D female figures, such as “Angel” and “Subspace” (not pictured), from tile, paper mache and found objects. I plan to create more collages and 3-D works on a larger scale, still focusing on all things Female.
Waiting: Ink illustration artist's trading card $36
I started creating Artist Trading Cards to give collectors an affordable option to owning a little piece of fetish fine art. Matted and framed, these cards are kinky little jewels that can be discretely displayed and enjoyed. These ink & acrylic illustrations are forms of self-portraiture; as a “switch”, I have found myself waiting, sitting and kneeling at the spanking bench, and i enjoyed depicting those moments, and hopefully, the associated feelings of anticipation and satisfaction.
PADDLES:
Blondie Hand sculpted wood paddle with acrylic $74
I hand cut all of my solid wood paddles free-form, then sand-sculpt them, and paint them with acrylic. The shape of each individual paddle suggests images to me, as did “Blondie”, or I have a particular theme in mind as with the “Thorn” tattoo design. My goal is to create “functional art” that can be used for play and/or display. I have created a number of custom paddles for kinky clients who wanted a special gift, usually a portrait of the Master/Mistress who will be weilding the paddle! I have also donated several of my paddle creations for various local leather fundraisers.
Meet the artist on Friday March 26 from 7-9PM during the artist’s reception to buy art at a discount, test drive new paddles and enjoy complimentary refreshments.
