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A Hyperallergic feature surveys recent Chicago exhibitions that its writer found charged with erotic themes, from Alice Tippit’s paintings to performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The piece presents this as a personal observation, not evidence that erotic art is broadly returning; the exhibitions’ curatorial materials did not, in the writer’s view, make the connection explicit.
A Hyperallergic feature has identified a perceived erotic undercurrent in several recent Chicago exhibitions, linking works by Alice Tippit, Holly Murkerson and others with a performance installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The writer frames the pattern as a personal observation, asking whether “sexy art” is returning or whether the connection reflects their own perspective—not documenting a confirmed citywide trend.
The report begins with exhibitions the writer saw over the spring and summer. Tippit’s paintings at the DePaul Art Museum prompted thoughts about desire that the writer said were not addressed in the exhibition catalogue. In the group project SHADOW, organized by Shannon Stratton at tête-à-tête-à-tête, the writer read sensuality into Murkerson’s photographs of a stone passageway and into stools by David Sprecher and Neiva Mulhearn, which invited viewers to straddle them and look inside.
The report sets those examples against the Art Institute of Chicago’s summer exhibition Willem de Kooning Drawing. Although the writer acknowledged the work as nude art, they described the figures as increasingly disturbing, rather than erotic, as they moved through the galleries. That response illustrates the feature’s subjective approach: the same subject matter can register as desire, discomfort or something else, depending on the viewer.
Another example came from “Peripersonal” (2020), an installation by Melanie McLain at Slow Dance at the MCA Chicago. From September 13 to October 18, two dancers improvised within the installation. The source provides that date range but does not specify a year. The feature places the performance alongside the other shows as part of a loose thematic reading, rather than reporting that the artists or institutions described the works as a coordinated exploration of sex.
How Viewers Read Desire in Art
The feature’s value lies in drawing attention to a possible disconnect between what viewers perceive and how exhibitions explain themselves. The writer says the erotic thread was not discussed in the associated didactic materials they encountered. That observation invites readers to consider whether desire is being intentionally explored, left open to interpretation, or noticed through the perspective of a particular visitor.
It also distinguishes an art critic’s impression from evidence of an industry-wide shift. The report does not measure exhibition themes across Chicago, compare them with earlier periods or establish that galleries are programming more sexual imagery. Its question is a prompt for discussion, not a trend finding. That distinction matters when a personal essay is recirculated as a claim about the broader art scene.
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The Shows Behind the Observation
The feature’s examples span different artists, venues and formats rather than a single exhibition or announced collaboration. Tippit’s paintings appeared at the DePaul Art Museum in spring; SHADOW was a summer curatorial project; and the Art Institute mounted its de Kooning drawing exhibition during the summer. The MCA-related performance added live movement to the set of examples.
The writer also situates the question within their own life, noting that they turned 50 and mentioning screen works about midlife women and desire. That is disclosed as part of the perspective behind the piece, not offered as research about age or libido. The article explicitly describes its informal observations as a minuscule survey, underscoring the limits of its evidence.
“Is sex back? Or it could just be me.”
— Hyperallergic feature writer
A Trend or One Viewer’s Reading?
The feature does not establish whether erotic themes have become more common in Chicago exhibitions. It offers no count of shows, comparison with previous years or statements from the artists and venues confirming a shared intention. The claim that the exhibitions connect through eroticism remains the writer’s interpretation, and other viewers may read the works differently.
The source also does not give the publication date or the year for the September 13–October 18 performance period. It is unclear whether the exhibition texts changed, whether the artists understood their work in similar terms, or whether additional examples would support the writer’s impression. Those gaps limit what can be concluded beyond the feature’s account of the shows it visited.
What Further Reporting Could Establish
The source reports no announced follow-up or planned research into the question. Establishing whether Chicago art is seeing a broader shift would require a wider review of exhibitions over time, alongside interviews with artists, curators and visitors about how sexuality figures in the work and its presentation.
For now, readers can treat the piece as a first-person exhibition report that identifies a possible theme and leaves it open for debate. No conclusion about a citywide return of erotic art is confirmed by the material provided.
Key Questions
Does the report prove that erotic art is returning to Chicago?
No. It describes the writer’s impressions of several exhibitions but provides no citywide survey or historical comparison to establish a trend.
Which exhibitions and artists does the feature discuss?
Examples include Alice Tippit’s paintings at DePaul Art Museum, Holly Murkerson’s photographs in the SHADOW project, Willem de Kooning drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Melanie McLain’s “Peripersonal” installation at Slow Dance at the MCA Chicago.
Did the artists or museums call these works erotic?
The supplied source does not report that the artists or institutions used that description. The erotic connection is presented as the feature writer’s interpretation.
When did the MCA-related performance take place?
The source lists September 13–October 18 for two dancers improvising in McLain’s installation, but it does not identify the year.
Source: hyperallergic.com
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