Detroit's own annual erotic art exhibition DIRTY SHOW returned once again this February to mark it's 15th annual year. Motorcityblog was there opening night (Fri. Feb. 7) to check it out.
This year marked a new home for the Dirty Show. The show took place in the new 36,000 square foot Exhibition Center which is located inside the first building to the left of the entrance of the Russell Industrial Complex. This was the Exhibition Center's first public event. The place was stunning and is my favorite of the three Dirty Show locations I have attended over the years. Two stories high with catwalks spanning the length of the room, large and clean bathrooms, and a massive space to display the art and have performers. It was yet another bitter cold Detroit winter night and to make up for it there were large space heaters scattered throughout the Exhibition Center to help warm up the venue. It's still a warehouse after all, just a very nice and clean one.
The stage setup was nice and there was an addition of a seating area this year A hundred or so pew's and chairs were placed adjacent to the front of the stage. There was still plenty of space in front of as well on the each side of the stage making for a great viewing area for all the performance artists.
There was a endless amount of performance artists that graced the stage throughout the night. If you want to catch every performance but also want to view the art, your best bet is the hour or so after doors open and a hour or so is left at the end of the night before the show closes. The show is that packed with stage performances. You could always show up for multiple nights as well since there is a lot to view.
Highlights included Drag Queen DeAngela “Show” Shannon, local Burlesque superstar Lushes LaMoan and her cavemen, male burlesque performer Jett Adore from the Stage Door Johnnies, and the world renowned burlesque performer Roxi D'Lite. I can say only so much with words so I'll let this footage I shot speak for itself in regards to the performers for the evening....
Besides the all the stage entertainment that can keep you busy all evening there is the art. The mission of The Dirty Show is to promote, publish and propagate erotic art in all forms and has become one of the largest in the world. I think the new venue was surely in need this year due to large amount of art that was displayed. The show featured a large number of artists, from first-timers to the famous at their dirtiest. While primarily focusing on area artists, The Dirty Show is open to artists from anywhere in the world.
The special guest artist for this particular weekend was former Ann Arbor native Pat Oleszko. Pat is a conceptual and performance artist who doesn't mind In addition to making a spectacle of herself and her art. Oleszko's spectacle at The Dirty Show this year was a massive 40 foot inflatable naked female. Pat herself covered in tits invites you to look inside her "pussy" which hundreds of attendees obliged. Your's truly did view inside, but what I saw will remain a secret. The show's not over folks and I don't want to ruin the surprise.
Many mediums were represented with the Dirty Show art including paintings, illustration, photography, sculpture, multi-dimensional art, and interactive pieces. Everywhere you turned there was art. There was even art displayed in the bathroom above urinals.
Don't have the money to spend on a original piece of art? The Dirty Show has you covered. A nice feature was The Erotic Print Store which offered art for a very decent price. Hundreds of different pieces of art from various mediums including photography and art prints were represented and they'll even hold on to your purchase till you are ready to leave the event.
Besides the main stage entertainment and
art there are full bars as well as performance art scattered throughout the
massive space including rope bondage demonstrations, aerial performers, and go
go dancers. You can also get spankings from the Detroit house of pain, get your
photo taken with a "naughty" standin, and even purchase cupcakes.
Please enjoy this slideshow with pictures from the evening including lots of great art...
The Dirty Show is taking place this coming weekend on Friday, Feb. 14 and
Saturday, Feb. 15 from 7:00PM - 2:00AM and these shows are 21+ with
I.D.
Location:
Exhibition Center at the
Russell Industrial Complex
1600 Clay St. Detroit, MI 48211
Visit http://dirtydetroit.com/ or
https://www.facebook.com/TheDirtyShow for all the latest details !