Sex work is a subject that is too often – especially in popular culture – presented in a one-dimensional way. This new exhibition at the ICA aims to do something different. It features work by 13 artists selected from an open call to address global sex worker experiences, and offers a multi-dimensional perspective.
And the artists selected couldn’t work in more diverse media – there are installations, huge linocut prints, video-game technology, embroidery and film and video – and each project adds a layer to a complex, absorbing show. The organisations behind it are the Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM) – the goal of the global sex workers’ rights movement is full decriminalisation as “the best available legal model for protecting the rights of sex workers” – and Arika, the political arts organisation that supports projects addressing social change.
