Depending on your office situation or where you are employed, the concept of “Not Safe For Work” could conjure various meanings. Years ago, a NSFW label on a webpost or even email subject prompted a sense of salacious wonder. In art, NSFW means there’s going to be some flesh, and in her NSFW curated shows at Spoke Art , Dasha Matsuura explored not just the idea of what that label means in terms of our technological lives, but what it suggests for women who paint, draw or sculpt the naked body in a modern world. In this new book, a collection of artists and intriguing text explore the NSFW label as a bold, new vision of eroticism and empowerment. 

“In these pages you’ll find a vast swath of femme identified artists applying their talents to the subjects of sex and eroticism...” Stoya writes in the introduction, “So, before you begin, what is femme sexuality? And, when you’re finished, what of it do you see in you?” A mix of playfulness, intimacy,  intensity,  enhanced with abstraction, dance through the book,  bolstered by a modicum of historical precedence which enhances each of the artist’s approaches to creating a dedication for the body. Although these vessels we inhabit have been painted for centuries and are integral to the  artistic canon, the time has come for a fresh look and nuanced discussion of who holds the power over these imagery. “Femininity and sexuality means something different to everyone,” Matsuura writes in her essay, “and in that complexity lies something unknowable and captivating.” From Audrey Kawasaki and Lauren YS, Jillian Evelyn to Laura Berger, this is a must-have, comprehensive overview of the NSFW label in an evolving world. —Evan Pricco

To coincide with the book, Spoke Art is pleased to present NSFW, a group exhibition featuring over 40 artists exploring themes of sex and sexuality from the femme perspective. This dynamic array of artists displays a complex spectrum of experiences from introspective and intimate to playful and defiant. The show will be on view from August 7—28, 2021.

Paragon Books, Paragon-books.com