If you’re a fan of erotic art, or simply curious about the form and want to experience erotic paintings, sketches, sculpture, photography, film and literature for yourself, here are some erotic art shows and festivals that take place around the world. Click through to learn more about each festival, including how to volunteer and how to submit your erotic art for consideration.
Dirty Show (Detroit)
Held each February, the Dirty Show in Detroit says on its site: “For more than a decade, the Dirty Show® has been considered one of the largest and most important erotic art exhibitions on the planet. Each year, the exhibit features hundreds of quality erotic works, in virtually every imaginable media, from all over the world. It has become an immersive experience, with world-class performance artists on the stage and in the audience. It attracts a diverse and cutting-edge audience of free-spirited Detroiters, whose yearly attendance has continued to grow into the thousands.” The Dirty Show features a burlesque show with performers from around the country, as well as erotic art exhibits and the Cinerotic Film Festival, as well as go-go dancers, a spanking booth, food and drink, and more. Click here to see images from the 2022 Dirty Show.
Tucson Erotic Art Show (TEAS)
The Tucson Erotic Art Show (TEAS) is a month-long, multi-gallery erotic art exhibit held each March that “hosts over 60 artists from Tucson and beyond showcasing their most provocative work.” The event was started by local artist local artist Ruben Urrea Moreno in 2011 and has since expanded and now also includes TEASR Short Film Festival. This wide-ranging erotic art event includes “workshops, seminars, performance events, and interactive and immersive experiences that all center the fusion of art and eroticism, ending in a closing night party,” as well as the opportunity to purchase artwork that’s been shown.
According to their website, “Tucson Erotica’s mission is to create a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment for adults to celebrate sexuality through artistic expression. We aim to highlight and amplify commonly underrepresented perspectives and experiences including those of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and elderly, as well as share information that normalizes and affirms sex-related topics such as kink/fetish, sex work, consent culture, and body-positivity that will have lasting positive effects on individual and community well being, with resources for sexual health and trauma support.” They also connect the Tucson artist community with interested buyers.
Seattle Erotic Art Festival
One of the longest-running erotic art events, Seattle Erotic Art Festival was founded in 2003 and produced that year by the Pan Eros Foundation, exhibiting hundreds of works of art. It is held annually at the end of April. The event’s mission statement reads: “Seattle Erotic Art Festival encourages the creation, enjoyment, and purchase of erotic art–sparking conversations to ignite personal and cultural evolutions.” At the start of the year, the Seattle Erotic Art Festival issues a call for art across a wide range of disciplines, including: Visual, Literary, Store, Stage Performance, Interactive Performance, Aerial & Bondage performance, Installation and Film. Selections are made by a new curators and jury members each year. According to their FAQ, Seattle Erotic Art Festival, accepts work by artists 18 and over and states, “We encourage you to submit the images/art that you are most passionate about. We encourage you to show the jury why something is erotic to you or your models.” The event includes art exhibits and entertainment, including poetry readings, pantomime, acrobatic displays, book signings, live drawings, art tours, erotic storytelling, and more, along with a festival store.
Rochester Erotic Arts Festival
The Rochester Erotic Arts Festival is held annually at the end of April and features “edgy, hot and beautiful erotic art” on display as part of a regional juried exhibition as well as for sale. Additionally, the festival features aerialist and burlesque performances, workshops and “classes in art, dance, and sex ed for adventurous adults.” The festival accepts submissions from artists with a deadline in mid-March. Co-creator and co-producer Rauncie Ryan told Reporter Magazine that she and Susie Scott of founding the festival in 2008, “We came up with this idea of having a juried art show where people could show erotic art because there’s not really a whole lot of outlet for that.” The event is open to those 18 and over.
London Erotic Art Exhibition
The London Erotic Art Exhibition, which features photography, paintings, drawings and more, is also held at the end of April. On its website, it describes itself as “Erotic Art London is an annual event which exhibits hundreds of quality erotic work in every imaginable media, from all over the world. We curate art submissions and select over 150 UK and international artists to exhibit their work.” In addition to art, presentations and performances, there is an art market, workshops and talks/lectures -making it one of the highlights of the art scene in London. The event also features entertainment, a market, art installment and a bar and food.Artists 18 and over can submit their work for consideration by September 11, 2022 for the book Best of Erotic Art Edition 2. You can view an online gallery of erotic art from London Erotic Art Exhibition here.
Did we miss an erotic art show we should add to our list? Are you an erotic artist interested in being profiled at Residence 11? Let us know at editorial@residence11.com