Kinsey opens nude photography exhibit

Rich and culturally explicit photographs will capture the Bloomington community with a nude and erotic portrayal of the human body.

The Kinsey Institute Gallery will be host to a reception and lecture Friday by artist Herbert Ascherman Jr. showcasing about 60 of his diverse photographs.

“I think it’s an opportunity to see work from an artist who hasn’t been seen by people here,” said coordinating curator Catherine Johnson-Roehr. “It’s a nice opportunity to see a wide variety of images.”

Ascherman donated more than 500 pieces to the Institute, where curator Claude Cookman, who is also a professor in the School of Journalism, condensed it into a small collection to showcase in the gallery. With all of Kinsey’s shows, the institute does not have enough room to show the entire collection, but it is always great to have an exhibit no one has ever seen before, Johnson-Roehr said.

The exhibit begins with a collection of photographs of the human body and ends with photos of couples. The show is grouped in themes and sequences, Cookman said. His goal in setting up the exhibit is to show the diversity of Ascherman’s art on human sexuality.

Cookman met with the artist a few years ago and began planning the exhibit with a fellow colleague last spring. He found it interesting and thought the students and the Bloomington community would as well.

Cookman said he hopes people will appreciate the content of the photos.

“If Alfred Kinsey taught us anything, it is that human sexuality is infinitely diverse,” Cookman said. “What I want people to come away with from this exhibit is how Herbert Ascherman has captured that diversity in his photographs.”

The exhibit’s title, “Infinitely Variable,” captures that same idea, Cookman said.
Ascherman, who lives in Cleveland, has been doing nude photography for nearly 40 years and has done portraits and other projects for 33 years. This is his second time showcasing these particular pieces. His first time presenting these pieces was in Cleveland for his community, the artist said.

After 40 years of doing the nude photographs, he had a large archive of prints sitting in his basement. He wanted the prints to live long after he did, and to be preserved for students and scholars to study in years to come. The Kinsey Institute was the most prominent place to donate the approximate 500 photos, he said.

Ascherman urges people to understand the difference between nudity and pornography. It is the intentions on how the human body is being portrayed, he said.

"My imagery is to show how beautiful the human body is.”



‘Infinitely Variable’: Nude and Erotic Photographs by Herbert Ascherman Jr.
Reception 5 to 7 p.m.
Lecture by Ascherman: 7 p.m.
Kinsey Institute in Morrison Hall
Free and open to the public