ARTISTS: Sean Bluechel, Nicole Cherubini , Ylva Ogland, Fay Ray, Elif Uras.

Smith-Stewart is pleased to present ANOTHER PEEP SHOW, a group exhibition featuring work by Sean Bluechel, Nicole Cherubini, Ylva Ogland, Fay Ray and Elif Uras that explores our basic impulse for taboo and titillation. Spanning painting, sculpture, works on paper and collage, the exhibition wonders, in particular, about the pleasure of being slightly naughty, if not a little unseemly—even if what happens only goes on secretly in our mind.

It’s a notion that, as I developed the show, kept reminding me of the last and probably most famous chapter of James Joyce’s Ulysses – the Penelope chapter—where Molly Bloom lies restless in bed thinking about almost everything, but prominently about old lovers, trysts and other sexual adventures that she probably shouldn’t be contemplating, but seems to enjoy privately contemplating, immensely – to the point of orgasm. Here is just one of the many passages that helped inspire the vision behind the show:

“…begging me to give him a tiny bit cut off my drawers that was the evening coming along Kenilworth square he kissed me in the eye of my glove and I had to take it off asking me questions is it permitted to inquire the shape of my bedroom so I let him keep it as if I forgot it to think of me when I saw him slip it into his pocket of course hes mad on the subject of drawers thats plain to be seen always skeezing at those brazenfaced things on the bicycles with their skirts blowing up to their navels even when Milly and I were out with him at the open air fete that one in the cream muslin standing right against the sun so he could see every atom she had on when he saw me from behind following in the rain I saw him before he saw me however standing at the corner of the Harolds cross road…what was he doing there where hed no business they can go and get whatever they like from anything at all with a skirt on it and were not to ask any questions but they want to know where were you where are you going I could feel him coming along skulking after me his eyes on my neck he had been keeping away from the house he felt it was getting too warm for him so I half turned and stopped then he pestered me to say yes till I took off my glove slowly watching him he said my openwork sleeves were too cold for the rain anything for an excuse to put his hand anear me drawers drawers the whole blessed time till I promised to give him the pair off my doll to carry about in his waistcoat pocket O Maria santissima he did look a big fool dreeping in the rain splendid set of teeth he had made me hungry to look at them and beseeched of me to lift the orange petticoat I had on with sunray pleats that there was nobody he said hed kneel down in the wet if I didnt so persevering he would too and ruin his new raincoat you never know what freak they’d take alone with you theyre so savage for it if anyone was passing so I lifted them a bit and touched his trousers outside the way I used to Gardner after with my ring hand to keep him from doing worse where it was too public…after when we met asking me have I offended you with my eyelids down of course.”