Open Call

“Sexy Solidarities” is an art exhibition exploring how social injustice, conflict, violence, and war (on women*, on queers, on abortion rights, but also war itself) can impact people’s bodies and identities. It focuses on themes like sexuality, bodily autonomy, and identity under extreme conditions.

Drawing from these ideas, the exhibition also looks at how digital platforms and the mainstream conservative porn industry shape unrealistic ideas about bodies and sex. Social media often shows “perfect” bodies and idealized lives that don’t reflect real experiences. We want to provide space to challenge these ideas and focus on authenticity, healing, and the complexity of human experiences. 

For many people the numerous ways of sex-positive thinking and porn-positive living can be helpful paths to healing, or even BDSM practices. We invite artists to explore these themes and show how they use their work to challenge norms, offer new perspectives, or even create guides for consensual sexual healing. 

We want to open up the conversation about how to deal with all that. 

How can we show solidarity in the sexiest way? How can we form better sexual futures for ourselves? What are your opinions as artists – whether it be feminist utopias or strict pleasure hegemonies? Or are you already living your dream of sexual freedom? -What does that look like to you and how do you exercise that? 

Painting, performance, sculpture, or… – all types of mediums are welcome, we are excited to see your works! 

The exhibition will take place from April 8th to 13th, 2025, at the historic Semperdepot in Vienna. At the opening event on April 8th, visitors will also have the chance to actively participate in performances.

“Sexy Solidarities” is an exhibition where art reflects personal and collective traumas, physical injuries, and disabilities (differently-abled bodies) caused by violence, social deprivation, and war. It raises questions about sexuality, bodily autonomy, and identity within extreme conditions, from armed conflicts to physical and sexual violence. Special attention is given to how society shapes perceptions of bodies that have or have not survived trauma and if or how these themes are mirrored in porn culture. With our open call we would like to give opportunity and space for topics that are usually taboo in our beautiful capitalist reality. 

We want to see artworks that address the impact of war, violence, and social struggles on the body and our sexual identity, portraying how such experiences not only leave physical and psychological scars but also shape new identities rooted in survival. By presenting bodies and realities that have endured extreme hardships, we invite artists to move beyond simplistic narratives to provide a deeper look into these experiences.

The digital & physical world distorts and/or idealizes not only our lives, but also our bodies and experiences in particular. Social media, and of course the mainstream conservative porn industry, curate and dictate new norms for the depiction of bodies and sex, creating pressure to conform to certain standards. In such a reality, both physical and psychological trauma are absent.

Social media and the conservative mainstream porn industry often filter and curate images of bodies, creating pressure to meet certain standards that don’t reflect real life. While these platforms offer visibility, they can also alienate by promoting a version of reality detached from actual hardship and healing. Confront the audience with these digital influences, underscoring the importance of authenticity and challenging the internet’s power to shape perceptions of bodily autonomy, sexuality, and healing.

Let’s talk about BDSM culture as one way of taking back control of the body, especially for people who have been through trauma. Through consent-based practices that honor personal boundaries and trust, BDSM can help people heal by allowing them to reclaim their autonomy and strength in ways that go beyond traditional norms. We are intrigued to discover how you navigate these themes, transforming personal and collective experiences into artistic expressions. What strategies do you employ to confront and subvert prevailing norms in porn? How do your works serve as new porno manifestos or guides for consensual sexual healing practices? We invite you to share your unique sexy visions and perhaps even your blueprints for solidary hegemonies through your submissions.

We are curious to see any kind of artworks, performances, manifestations, demonstrations and other artistic sexual solidarities!

The Exhibition will take place between April 8th and 13th in the ground floor of the historical atelier building “Semperdepot”. We will feature porn-, sex- and body-positive works and performances. All forms of media are welcome for submission.

On April 8th, there will be an excessive vernissage where visitors are encouraged to become part of the performances.