Voy•eur•ism 
Noun

The desires or behavior of a voyeur, such as:
a) the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from observing others
b) the practice of taking pleasure in observing something private, sordid, or scandalous

Voyeurism has evolved according to gendered power dynamics within historical norms of masculinity. Subsequently, voyeuristic art is crafted from the perspective of the heterosexual male gaze, which sexualizes the female figure. The male figure positions himself as the voyeur, giving himself power over female subjects and objectifying her through his gaze. This effectively removes her autonomy and power for self-definition, and instead makes her intelligible by the male artist and viewer. 

While not all artistic voyeurism relies on the female nude, this has certainly tended to be a dominant theme. The distinction between being “nude” and being “naked” is significant here: being naked simply means being oneself, while being nude is, as critic John Berger once wrote, “to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself.” All of these tropes are clear in the classical female nude, which is personified by a complacent and anonymous woman.

The usage of this trope has become naturalized in society through its repetition. Classical artistic training requires the mastery of live nude figure sketching, which has reaffirmed the objectification women as imperative to the making of “good” art. Media have repeatedly utilized the female body as a canvas for marketing campaigns. 

This exhibition displays art that uses voyeuristic tropes as well as art that attempts to deconstruct those tropes. Where does this place the viewer? Our goal is to challenge the complacency of learned voyeuristic tendencies as well as to critique the compulsion of artists to utilize this trope in their work. As you walk around the exhibition, notice your initial reactions to the different works. What produces  enjoyment? What evokes curiosity, disgust, intrigue?