UIS Visual Arts Gallery presents |fon' seks|: Digital Devices and the Transformation of Intimacy

The Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Illinois Springfield presents |fon' seks|: Digital Devices and the Transformation of Intimacy. This nationally juried exhibition explores the impact that digital devices have had on intimacy and previously assumed private and personal sexual behaviors.

An opening reception that includes a brief talk from the jurors, Assistant Professor of Art Dave Kube and Assistant Professor of Women and Gender Studies Michael Murphy, will take place on Thursday, March 7 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Celebrities, congressmen, and amorous teenagers have discovered - often to their shock and embarrassment - that the meaning of dating, relationships, romance, and even sex itself is currently being renegotiated in light of the fluorescent glow of handheld digital devices. The advent of handheld digital technology seems to have heralded something entirely new. iPhones, Blackberries, and Androids are transforming what it means to be sexually intimate in the 21st century. We are witnessing a revolution in human intimacy and this one will be televised…via the XTube mobile app on your iPhone 4GS. In light of this, how should we view the transformation of intimate relations enabled by handheld digital devices? The artists and works included in this exhibition address this core theme through a variety of responses, interpretations, and media.

Exhibiting artists include Cory Peeke, Sean Fader, Jon Henry, Craig Ryan, Chad States, Lauren McGinn, Michael Max McLeod, Jonathan Armistead, Coalfather Industries, Liat Berdugo, Erin M. Riley, and Malena Barnhart. A Best in Show Award and two Honorable Mentions will be revealed at the reception.

|fon' seks|: Digital Devices and the Transformation of Intimacy will open at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery on Monday, March 4 and run through Thursday, April 11. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, March 7 from 5:30-8 p.m., and will include a brief presentation. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, room 201 (HSB 201). Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information exhibition programming, please visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website at www.uis.edu/visualarts/gallery, or contact the gallery by phone at 217/206-6506 or email alach3@uis.edu.