“Mean,” Sophia Narrett, courtesy of Kohn Gallery
In February, Nashville Scene arts editor Laura Hutson Hunter curated a Scene-sponsored art show called Nerve at Germantown’s Wilder. That exhibition seems eons ago now, particularly its opening reception — dozens of Nashvillians crowded into a three-story townhome, partaking in hors d’oeuvres and discussing the thought-provoking pieces on display in the first installment of Hutson Hunter’s Adult Contemporary series.
The second Adult Contemporary show, of course, will look quite a bit different. Taking place Oct. 22-Nov. 29 at 509 Third Ave. S., Shag: Provocative Textiles will be open by appointment from noon until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. While Nerve examined the female body through works by women, Shag will focus on sexuality solely via textile art.
Quilting, crafting, knitting — these means of expression have long held wholesome connotations. But Shag offers textile pieces by a baker’s dozen of artists who clearly revel in toying with the conventional understanding of this kind of work. Take, for instance, the embroidered fabric work of Brooklyn’s Sophia Narrett, whose provocative scenes are imbued with mystery and intoxicating eroticism, like a scene from Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Or Berlin-based artist Elijah Burgher’s large pieces featuring and inspired by sigils, symbols connected to chaos magic and the occult. There are also the embroidery-on-silk paintings of New York’s Katarina Riesing, which offer intimate glimpses of the human body at its most candid — exposed backs, breasts, asses, all of them with cellulite or hair or blemishes, glorious in their unapologetic asymmetry. Chiffon Thomas’ embroidered fabric pieces, meanwhile, take an abstract approach to depicting the human form — body parts rendered in pastel thread are bulging and bulbous, but somehow also graceful and sleek.
These pieces only scratch the surface of what’s represented in Shag. Featured artists like Elise Drake, Linnéa Sjöberg and Vadis Turner have unique and diverse talents and approaches on display here, from woven tapestries and knit objects to embroidery. All of them, however, are united by an almost subversive undercurrent — a desire to drive the viewer to reexamine their associations with how we express and understand desire and sexuality.
Staff and visitors at Shag will all be expected to wear masks and observe proper social distancing protocol. Capacity will be limited, and hand sanitizer will be provided on site. To learn more or make an appointment for viewing, visit shagartshow.com.
