Betty Tompkins' Dual Exhibitions Explore Pornography Through Feminist Painting
In the spring of 2017, Betty Tompkins showcased two exhibitions in New York: 'Virgins' at P.P.O.W. from March 30 to May 13 and 'Small in the Viewing Room' at Marlborough Contemporary from April 19 to May 20. Through a feminist lens, Tompkins critiques pornography, producing explicit artworks that are devoid of sensuality. The P.P.O.W. display included large 'Fuck' paintings and a grid of nine 'Pussy' pieces rendered in a grisaille palette. At Marlborough, her two collages from 1970 illustrated her technique of cutting images from adult magazines. Tompkins’ art portrays mechanical sexual acts lacking pleasure, echoing Linda Williams' notion of the unattainable desire to witness inner ecstasy while examining pornography as a commodified simulacrum.
Key facts
- Betty Tompkins had two concurrent exhibitions in New York in spring 2017
- 'Virgins' at P.P.O.W. ran March 30-May 13, 2017 at 535 West 22nd Street
- 'Small in the Viewing Room' at Marlborough Contemporary ran April 19-May 20, 2017 at 545 West 25th Street
- Tompkins examines pornography from a feminist viewpoint without moral judgment
- Her large 'Fuck' paintings measure seven feet tall and use airbrush technique
- Works employ grisaille palette that drains color from flesh
- Two 1970 collages at Marlborough show her grid-based preparatory process
- Her paintings depict mechanical sex without evidence of physical pleasure or climax
Entities
Artists
- Betty Tompkins
- Linda Williams
Institutions
- P.P.O.W.
- Marlborough Contemporary
- artcritical
Locations
- New York
- United States
- 535 West 22nd Street
- 545 West 25th Street