Let’s take a moment to talk about Dicks.
We mean Dicks, the art show. Get your minds out of the gutter, sheesh.
This solo exhibition by Christian McDonald (@religionfastfood) opened August 14 at Dialog (@dialogphx), a local coffee shop and design store on Roosevelt Row.
What a fascinating show it was.
Christian asked men to send photos of their pride and joy, and then he painted them. Pretty straightforward, as were some of the angles in the paintings. But what took us by surprise was the honesty and vulnerability of some of these anonymously painted subjects.
Each painting was paired with a single initial, an occupation, and a personal message. Some were deep and revealing, while others were more or less what you might expect. One of the models was unemployed; another was a school principal.
This felt like one big reminder that despite differences in age, occupation, or class status, we are all just humans dealing with human things. Whether that be kink, love, shame, insecurity, or something else entirely, at the bottom of it all lies the deeply human desire to be seen and understood, even anonymously.
You don’t know who any of the painted members belong to, but presented with these tiny clues and small glimpses into their lives and relationships with their bodies, you suddenly realize that a show full of dicks became a show about people.
A show full of dicks became a show about people.
Christian is a genius, in our inexpert opinion. His presentation and delivery blend humor, vulnerability, bluntness, sophistication, and mischief perfectly. There’s nothing particularly high- or lowbrow about it.
This was also our first time at Dialog. The space itself is beautiful and welcoming, with art and design tucked into seemingly every corner. There’s a delicious coffee shop inside, too.
Bravo Christian and encore!