Beauties Service

Show Run: January 16, 2009 through April 10, 2009 Opening date: January 23, 2009 Time: 6:00 to 9:00 pm In “Beauties Service," a themed retrospective of watercolor figures, by Chicago Fetish Artist Kate Tastrophe, illustrating women who have taken complete and utter control over their own external sexuality. Unlike most understood feminist notions of “beauty” being pushed onto women, which in the curator’s opinion actually reaffirms the old notion of what a woman’s place was. Kate Tastrophe, who speaks of her images as if they where real ladies, works toward contemporary theories of 3rd wave feminism and shows that this newly found sexually liberated woman, is nothing new. The images show women who use and accentuate their “assist,” and in doing so take hold of Beauty and make it their servant. These ladies want to be looked at. They want to be studied. They want to inspire those dirty little thoughts. And it’s their rendering of “Beauty” that grants them the power in that moment. Leather Archives and Museum 6418 N. Greenview Avenue