No Human Involved

The Fifth Annual Sex Workers’ Art Show by STROLL in collaboration with PICA

November 2019, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art

Co-curated by Kat Salas and Matilda Bickers of STROLL PDX, in collaboration with Roya Amirsoleymani, Artistic Director & Curator, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), this exhibition honors the history, spirit, and tradition of STROLL PDX’s annual sex workers’ art show and other grassroots exhibitions of, by, and for sex workers and their communities, while expanding the Portland project’s platform and possibilities through PICA’s space, visibility, and resources. The design for the space revolved around a simple living room set, couches and bean bags that created a focal point—one of hospitality—for the exhibition. Exhibition space was created through temporary walls with exposed framing, that both created privacy for intimate video works, and also allowed transparency across the space. Video screening areas, custom tables for ephemera, and 2D and 3D artworks filled the space, in addition to a stage and seating area for public programming. Images by Intisar Abioto.

“The exhibit creates space for multifaceted artistic voices, sharing individual and collective stories through the exhibit design of exposed scaffolding which literally builds new walls and a hope for counter realities that dismantle systems of oppression in which all humans are involved.” —Kyle Kohlmia, Oregon Arts Watch