Works by: John Bellany, Robert Colescott, John Currin, Julie Curtiss, Carroll Dunham, Mark Grotjahn, Anthea Hamilton, Mark Heming, Cheyenne Julien, Mike Kuchar, Sam McKinniss, Alessandro Pessoli, Pablo Picasso, Richard Prince, Mika Rottenberg, Emily Sundblad, Tabboo! and Andy Warhol

There is an anxiety in all of us, because deep down we know that we're fucked.–The Curators

Syphilis is an exhibition that reflects on hope and fear, pleasure and mortality. The idea originated from a conversation about this disease and how it can serve as a metaphor. Artists in the show explore themes of love and lechery in equal measure. A pair of silicone lips by Mika Rottenberg protrude from the wall, parted slightly to reveal a kaleidoscopic video. Drawings by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Carroll Dunhamare unabashedly erotic. Works by John Currin and Julie Curtiss are seductive and sinister. Mike Kuchar’s paintings on paper are a Dionysian celebration of the male form while Sam McKinniss paints the beauty of internet celebrity without irony, laying bare a sense of danger hiding somewhere beneath the surface. Richard Prince’s untitled (portrait) from 2015 is sourced from Instagram and translates the appropriation of the 1970s picture generation into a context where these tactics are now commonplace. In the world of the smart phone, indulgence takes many form, as does infection and disease. Over saturation and communication has led to disconnect. Human behavior shifts rapidly in this new environment and it is hard to know how to protect oneself or against what. Disease and destruction have always followed creation and reproduction. By addressing the symptoms of this cultural moment through art the curators hope to delay its progress a little while longer.The exhibition will be on view at the gallery through August 22nd.