Standard:Deviation—Not your average psychology class

In her first solo endeavor, St. Louis-based artist Morgan Gehris explored deviant sexuality and psychology in a show that bridged fashion and sculptural art at the Des Lee Gallery on June 25. Gehris explained to me that her art is about “the brain and sexuality and how those two are connected…deviant sexuality, specifically,” she said, “my work explores the parts of the brain that are related to sexuality and how the impulse bounces from one part to another.”

Some of Gehris’ pieces represent parts of the brain that her research into psychology has led her to connect with deviant sexuality and arousal, and other pieces represent what Gehris refers to as “fetish memorabilia” – whips, slappers, chains, handcuffs and the like. Gehris recently took her work away from walls and pedestals and put it on the human body – so it’s presented on the arms, head, torso or any other part of a human model. “I realized my work was addressing people,” she said, “it needed to be on people in order to be expressed fully. Anything can hang on a wall and maybe it draws your attention or maybe it doesn’t, but the second you see a model walking around, you’re riveted.”

Chris Parr, an active poet in the St. Louis area, has been collaborating with Morgan in an effort to wrap words around the concepts she conveys with her work. He read some of his more explicit poetry during Gehris’ show to complement her work. Their artistic collaboration on this project began when Gehris and Parr realized they had similar views on what is typically considered standard sexual practice, and what is considered deviant. As Parr explained, “with the way that society tucks sex away from being viewed, especially in America, where bodies are both a source of so much titillation and so much fear and anxiety, you’re sort of getting at the notion that even what’s standard is regarded as deviant. And yet that means that, in a sense, deviation becomes standard.” And thus was born the name of the show, Standard:Deviation.

“It’s really interesting to me how, historically, what’s been considered deviant sexuality has changed,” Gehris said, “I have psychology textbooks from the 60s and 70s that talk about homosexuality as a disease and how it can be cured…now, obviously, we widely accept homosexuality, it’s no longer considered a deviant practice.” Gehris believes that the underground scene of BDSM practitioners is gaining acceptance, too. “There’s now a website called FetLife that is like Facebook for BDSM people,” she said.

After speaking with Gehris and Parr at length, it was time for me to see the work. The music started, the spotlights came on, and Parr began breathing into the mic, “fuck her hard, she asked for it.” The models, dressed in nude-colored clothing, except for black high-heeled boots and stilettos, stalked down the runway, frequently initiating contact with audience members. The sculptural pieces adhered to their bodies varied from stylized collars and blindfolds to twisting neuronal representations that branched out inquisitively and reminded the viewer that that same brain-stuff is in his or her own head, too. The models would often make clear their dominance over the audience by placing a spiked heel on the knee of a front-row spectator. One piece even seemed to take on a new meaning when interaction was initiated – a large wire and silvery cloth contraption that evoked the energy of an erection became fellatio when the cloth was draped over the head of an audience member.

The crowd attending Gehris’ show that night might lend credence to her belief in the growing acceptance of the fetish scene. Men and women in full leather attire with whips and other toys dangling from their belts mingled with some apparently vanilla, although slightly uncomfortable looking, hipsters. However, Jeff, a prominent scene member who was donning a leather tunic with flogging accoutrements that evening, might disagree with Gehris’ perception that the scene is gaining acceptance. “By and large, our community is highly misrepresented in most major media, there’s a great deal of discrimination, we’re not protected by law as far as our jobs go…it’s one of the few subcultures that is not yet accepted,” Jeff said. Gehris’ art brings us one step closer to appreciating all brands of sexuality, but perhaps we still have a ways to go.

You can e-mail Tiffany Frye at tiffany.m.frye@gmail.com.