Exhibition – “Naked Men”

18.02 - 19.03.22

From February 18th to March 19th 2022, 14 artists will show works dealing with the subject of masculinity with the Vijion Art Gallery. The exhibition examines the way in which masculinity has been experienced and socially constructed in visual art during recent decades.

The works on display tell of a fluidity between the sexes and show the absurdity of the way in which we hold on to binary boundaries.

At a time when classic images of masculinity are in crisis and terms such as “toxic” and “fragile” masculinity shape social discourse, the artists Thabata Arduini, Julia Runggaldier, Josef Kostner, Harald Plattner, Anton Christian, Klaus Rungger, Lois Anvidalfarei, Gehard Demetz, Stefan Perathoner, Karl Plattner, Johannes Herster, Sophie Eymond, Ottavia Demetz and Aron Demetz bring us closer to their perceptions, insights and perspectives in regard to the subject.

"transman"/ "cisman"; For a few years now, there hasn't been a uniform image for "man". Which is no bad thing! Men show feelings, are emotional–characteristics that previous generation hardly knew. The ideal image of the strong, unshakable man was supplemented and bolstered by a soft, almost feminine component. The expression is filled with tenderness, the body is no longer isolated as a measure of proportion, but merges with the psyche and spirit of a developed, enlightened human being. It is an extension of society on a gender fluid basis. Far from heteronormativity, today's understanding of gender identities encompasses now some 72 terms. It is up to each and every one of us to accept and deal with this diversity with all its linguistic changes.

As of today, openness to different body shapes and lifestyles is legally accepted and socially recognised in many countries around the world. Since biological sex change is possible, the understanding of masculinity has expanded to include the plural word masculinities. The "fragile" masculinity stands as a counterpart to the "toxic" masculinity, which has already been tackled by feminists. Between these two extremes there are, of course, a large number of other gradations that complete the designations of masculinity.

This exhibition wants to show the gradual transition from a fixed ideal to today's realities. This perception of the male body through sculpture, drawing and painting enables the mapping of a trajectory that moves toward the dissolution of the binary gender concepts.