'Mythical Genitalia' draws large First Friday crowds

“Mythical Genitalia” — an art show featuring works all about human genitalia at Gallery 1010 in downtown Knoxville — drew large crowds during First Friday this past weekend.

The show, which runs until August 10, featured 28 pieces from artists all over the United States, some of which are UT students. Varying types of mediums were used, including mechanical sculptures, photography, video and paintings. All of the pieces had one common theme: human genitalia and society’s feelings about it.

“We were thinking of the beauty of bodies and the beauty of anatomy and the miraculous aspect of it, that things seem to fit things and the different ways that mammals have body parts,” said curator Victoria Buck.

It has generated a lot of buzz as many people were shocked or perplexed by the content.

“It’s really interesting that people would be shocked about genitalia, something that we all have. So I think it’s good to start a dialogue about that kinda stuff that people would rather just forget about,” said Eric Cagley, the gallery manager.

The show handed out popcorn and candy as well as let guests take home free prints if they were willing to pose in pictures with them.

First Friday is a very popular event around Knoxville where galleries and restaurants all over downtown stay open later to allow citizens to explore during the first Friday of every month.

“I feel like Knoxville is really craving an art scene… For such a small town, First Friday is incredibly well attended… This is a student gallery, and it’s packed, and I think that comes from that craving,” said Hannah Skoonberg, a graduate student at UT.

According to Cagley, during the school year, Gallery 1010 has a new show every Friday where UT students can feature their work.