SENSATIONS

04.04.2014 - 04.26.2014

SEDIMENT is pleased to present Sensations, an exhibition of over eighty drawings by Bryan Lewis Saunders and Nicole Bailey. The exhibition includes forty drawings produced between Saunders and Bailey that explore shared experiences of pleasure and intimacy. These drawings, created simultaneous to physical experience, explore both artists' perception of sensation. Viewed in totality, the project speaks to similarities and differences in the experience of touch, pleasure and intimacy between persons of different genders, ages, and life experiences.

Along with the collaborative works are forty drawings of the self-portrait series Bryan Lewis Saunders began almost twenty years ago. Since March 30th, 1995, he has created at least one new self portrait every day, an immense archive that to date includes over 8,000 works. Saunders is renowned internationally for his drawings, in particular the series Self-Portraits Under the Influence, as well as his spoken-word performances he calls "stand-up tragedies". He has been interviewed by the Huffington Post, The Guardian, Wired, and DisInfo among others, and exhibited internationally at Catalyst Projects, D.C., MIKA Gallery,Tel Aviv, and Mediamtic, Amsterdam.

From the Artists:

"I chose to exhibit the Sensations drawings for the similarities in perceptions of good sensations between people of different sexes and genders. These drawings show a consenting, loving relationship outside of the porn and television industry, 'Family Values' politicians, the Church, evolutionary psychology scenarios, and celebrity paparazzi photos.

As I wasn't responsible for the concept of illustrating sensations, I used many of my drawings as opportunities to "feel out" myself in space to challenge my body image issues.

The similarities in the sensations between someone who draws himself every day, with clear perception of himself, and someone younger, who avoids mirrors and has had fewer life experiences, is the pleasant, unexpected result." 

- Nicole Bailey

 

"On March 30th 1995 I started drawing at least one self-portrait everyday for the rest of my life. One of the discoveries that emerged from this act was the awareness that every single physical sensation that occurs spontaneously inside my body is to some degree painful. With the exception of ticklish itches on the surface of my skin, I have never had the experience of one of my bones, muscles, joints or internal organs just randomly start emitting feelings of pleasure. The body doesn't work like that. As a solitary creature my body only creates sensations when it wants to let me know something is wrong. When all is right I feel nothing. That along with the fact that every pain asks me to make sense of it, or take meaning from it, makes pain seem dominant and controlling and yet totally absurd. Positive pleasurable feelings must always take effort and need to be prompted or provoked. 

As an intimate social creature things are different and one can easily be overwhelmed by pleasurable sensations inside the body when interacting with a partner. Over a period of several weeks Nicole helped me document this awareness by drawing these sensations 'in the moment' (while we were experiencing them) often with beautiful, exciting and playful results." 

- Bryan Lewis Saunders