Madonna, Sex and Miami
Art Basel Miami slays its opening, reminding everyone why she’s known as one of most relatable contemporary art fairs worldwide. Florida’s hot November matches perfectly with the beachfront box by The Saint Laurent Rive Droite line which is presenting a re-edition of the 1992’s coffee-table book “Sex”.
The pre mentioned book, in its original edition, consisted in 128 pages of pure erotism, photographed by Steven Meisel Studio and Fabien Baron and published by Warner Bross.
Accused of being too explicit, at times obscene and hardcore pornography, Sex cost Madonna several negative critics but at the same time it is considered a daredevil post-feminist work which helped the widening of cultural issue on sex and erotism.
Not by chance Priya Elan, Guardian's deputy fashion editor, stood up for it saying that, while it was easy to be critiqued, “[Sex] should be applauded for this balls-to-the-wall honesty”.
Today's release consists of only 800 copies issued by the well known SaintLaurent fashion house and published by Callaway New York. Sales open 29th November, and I’m pretty sure that they’ll have sold out in a few minutes after the temporary beachfront box will unlock its doors.
Saint Laurent Rive Droite decided to celebrate Madonna's groundbreaking career, for it has never been confined to music only, but rather has raised her person to an icon. In order to give the most relatable value, the curatorship has been entrusted to Anthony Vaccarello, the amazing Saint Laurent artistic, creative image director.
The marriage of such great personalities can’t be unpleasing, for also, nowadays we’ve (luckily) stripped ourselves of so many of those prejudices due to which the 1992 Sex edition was blamed for sexual explicit content. Madonna aim was to revolutionarily demystifying sexuality altogether, as she’s always done by building her individuality as a witty feminist role model.
"Everything you are about to see and read is a fantasy, a dream, pretend.” That the quote on the book first page: a true, honest and unpleasantly lovable mission statement which guides everyone to an extrovert end extremely sexual collection of pictures in which Madonna does teach sex and pleasure.
I do, however, even find it amusing to find among the critics of 30 years ago, those who, two seconds after publishing yet another conformist judgement, bought the playboy magazine to keep in their bedside table. as well as those women with the sharp tongue of those who suppress emotions behind novels hardly congruent with their own published articles.
I like my generation, as much as I sometimes feel too tired to live in the body of a 23-year-old, because we are not afraid to talk, to share the intimate. And I say that because knowing and, more importantly, saying what we do and what we don’t like should be as natural as choosing our favorite flavor of ice cream.
So thank you Madonna, and thank you Saint Laurent, for reminding us that pleasure is our business.
While I’m queuing for one of those 800 copies, I suggest you have a look at the ArtBasel Miami exhibition - huge hosts for this edition.
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