Post-erotic art

Take a look at the picture:

Not exactly what you were expecting?
Erotic art, I suppose, has to do with subtly playing with our senses. It becomes pleasantly impossible to distinguish between erotic and aesthetic experience. One of the two guides us, the other follows us (the order of the two depends on the type of art...). Then again, we could go even further from the erotic than that. Associate anything with sex ("Doesn't that crack in the wall remind you of something?"). Our imaginations are full of erotic images, sensual associations and explicit links. But maybe it could be about not even following the links? About going the other way, "sublimating" the feelings, as Freud would say?
What are we left with, then? Conceptual boxes with no pleasure in them? Here is an example, a proof of the contrary - pleasure can come in numerous ways. Take the box.

Jack-in-the-box? Pandora's box?
Rose box. This is what it's all about: a labeled box. You can read the labels, but is that what you'll find in the box?
Start by approaching the object of your interest. What do you see? A sensual creature?


A sex object?

A goddess?


An awkward figure?


Or maybe something else?


Or maybe someone else?

How erotic is all of this? Together, it might not seem erotic in the least. But take a look at the pictures one-by-one. See how they play with curves, how they show and hide, how they tease you into believing something they don't say. Even the political one with the burka and bikini seems perversely attractive. I like them, because I can feel the tension between the sexual, and the human, and the political/social. It looks like an attempt to go beyond, but an honest one, which admits when it can't forget the stuff we're made of.

Linda Zacks's art is cool, fast, witty, pretty, funny, sad, commercial, anti-commercial, right and wrong. Zacks is a fine artist of the 21st century (I've always wanted to use this phrase). She is a designer, and a popular one. She has worked with big guns like VH1, MTV, great websites and magazines. And they seem to like her because of her talent and her tongue-in-cheek approach. She doesn't hide behind artsy talk and esoteric images, she doesn't snob herself into the art world - which would probably have gotten her out of the design world. She has strong opinions about things - some really inspiring, while others seem naive and make me sad that such a nice picture is "wasted" on such a poor statement. But at the same time that's the part I really appreciate - straightforwardness in art is a rare quality.

(via lisa's artblog)
(PS: Just don't tell me you didn't come here for the art)