When asked what words best describe the 12 paintings he was recently commissioned to do for B-Side Club (aka the Second Floor), Adam Vieira smiles and immediately says, “colourful, sexual and graphic.” The 26-year-old couldn’t have picked three more appropriate adjectives.
Simply put, the paintings feature people going at it. Hell, they’re called the Exxxplicit series. Although most of his paintings depict hard dicks and rim jobs, Vieira doesn’t consider them pornography. “It’s just art,” he explains. He does admit to having watched tons of porn for inspiration, though.
Aesthetically, Vieira has been inspired by comic books and pop art. His paintings are ultra simple in design and remarkably vivid in colour and content. In those terms, the series is kind of comparable to comic/pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s work, only a lot sexier.
Because of the wear and tear canvas paintings would no doubt suffer in a club, Vieira, a 2008 Concordia animation grad, chose to do them on plexiglass instead. He also used phosphorescent paint to stand out in a dark club.
So far, Vieira’s paintings have been up for three weeks. As he expected, they haven’t gone unnoticed. “I think it leaves an impression on people &- they either love it or hate it,” Vieira says.
Judging by the multitude of fingerprints covering the paintings (one in particular, which features a topless brunette with, um, rather enviable boobs, is in need of a cleaning), it’s safe to say that a lot of people like to examine the paintings close-up.
Vieira, who also bartends at B-Side Club on Friday and Saturday nights, gets to witness clubgoers’ reactions first hand. He says he often spots people taking pictures with the paintings. But, he’s also seen people walk into the bar, take one quick look at the walls and leave.
Offending people is inevitable; the graphic sexual nature of the paintings is unmistakable and unapologetic. While he describes his work as a “celebration of sexuality” rather than a collection of obscene images, Vieira acknowledges the potential harm his paintings could cause. He thus tried his best to avoid negative feedback. In a bid to somewhat soften the paintings, he chose to omit certain distinctive traits &- if you look closely, you’ll see that the painted faces often lack basic body parts like eyes or a nose. Vieira says he sees the people featured as “characters” rather than humans.
Plans for an official vernissage are under way for an as-of-yet unannounced summer date. In the meantime, you can enjoy the club’s no cover policy and see the paintings for yourself.
Vieira says the paintings will at least give patrons something to talk about &- and are probably a great way to break the ice while trying to pick someone up at the bar.
The Exxxplicit series is on display at B-Side Club (aka the Second Floor) at 3614 St-Laurent Blvd.
