Salon des refuses 2000
Will a democratic 'Nude' exhibit lead to edgy new art or amateur night?
by Linda J. Dimon

Edouard Manet knew what it meant to be rejected.

Although his name is well known now even to the most casual of art students, at one time Manet could hardly get his work shown. Manet's art was considered vulgar by the standards of his day, and when it was once again rejected by the annual Salon in Paris the art world's Ground Zero - he and other artists raised such an outcry at this stifling of artistic expression that an "anti-Salon" was held the next year.

This first and famous exhibition of "reject art" was called the Salon des Refuses of 1863, and it was such a success it soon became an annual event.

Photographer Carla Trisko hopes for similar success with Salon des Refuses 2000.

Conceived as an "anti-Nude 2000" exhibit, the one-night event takes place at Helios Restaurant, which Trisko co-owns. Invited to exhibit is every artist whose nude work has been rejected by the Art League or by local galleries that don't accept works depicting full-frontal nudity.

Trisko, whose own work has been rejected by the League, said she became frustrated with the blandness of the annual Nude show and its exclusive nature.

"I'm hoping for more obscure and questionable art than you can see at the Art League show. Even if it's offensive or pornographic, I'll hang it for this one night. Unlike the Nude show, this exhibit won't be juried. Everyone gets in. The only limitation is the amount of space I have to hang it."

Of course, in an exhibition open to everyone, the spectre of rooms full of amateur works looms large. Although at press time only 40 works had been submitted, submissions so far range from more ribald works by artists clearly skilled in their chosen medium to only-marginally competent work by artists who probably should remain unknown.

What's missing so far is anything truly outrageous, provocative, or even mildly offensive. In fact, most of the submissions look rather like what's currently hanging at the Art League - more staid than steamy. However, since Trisko is still accepting submissions (she hopes for 50-100 by the date of the show), there's always hope for the reckless and truly shocking.

Even artists who regularly exhibit in Art League Nude shows say they welcome another opportunity to show their work. Photographer J.P. Fields, who's had pieces in the Nude show for the last nine years, says exhibits at the League need more balance.

"I love working with the female form but the Nude show has become lopsided. It's all breasts now. The quality is superior to what they've had in the past, but it's tame, and it's the judges who make it tame. You get to the point where you know what they expect and you start tempering your entries or culling your work even before they do, which isn't good for art or for the artists."

Other artists have tried to fill the gap left by the League jurists: Fields participated in the (now-defunct) Virtual Gallery's "Really Really Nude" exhibit in the mid-90s; local artist Bob Morgan had his own one-day show of erotica at Gallery Soleil late last year (which, by the way, was almost exclusively devoted to penises); and Will McGinnis held a one-day nude show which was to take place poolside (but was relocated to his basement due to inclement weather). But Morgan's show featured mainly his own art, and McGinnis's show was sparsely attended, possibly because people balked at paying $10 to gain entry to someone's basement.

In any case, Lexington desperately needs more venues for erotic art-good, bad or indifferent. It's a void Carla Trisko hopes to fill with Salon des Refuses 2000.

"This is a great opportunity for artists because anything people bring me, I'll hang," said Trisko. "What I hope is that this will become an annual exhibit, that the interest in it will be so huge that people will look forward to it not only as a social event but as a chance to see the art they usually don't get to see."

To contribute art, call Trisko at 276-2327 or 367-0167. Admission for the show Sunday, February 27, 7-10 p.m., at Helios, is $5 for artists submitting works, $10 for the general public. It includes food, entertainment and, of course, art.