Holly Inks is pushing the boundaries of traditional art exhibitions with her newest creation “Peep”.
The Loughborough based artist first caught the internet’s attention back in 2020 lockdown when she asked her Instagram followers to send in the pornographic images and videos they had been watching during lockdown…‘in the name of art’.
The surge of users watching erotic media increased during lockdown and was a catalyst for Holly to help end the taboo around sex and masturbation, pushing the boundaries of socials norms.
Holly Inks received a lot of mixed reviews around her work and said: “People were shocked but equally impressed by the paintings and wanted to buy prints.”
The collection expanded into “rude pottery”, reworked decor and nude paintings that pushes the boundaries of sex, feminism and body positivity.
As a self-employed artist, Holly had to think of innovative ways to put on budget friendly art exhibitions to display her work instead of the traditional venue hire.
Holly found an outdated caravan from Facebook Marketplace for just £175 that was destined for the scrapyard and transformed it into her very own travelling art exhibition.
During the creative process, Inks documented the entire creative process on social media for her followers to come along for the journey.
The quirky artist wanted to show aspiring artists that you don’t need a huge budget to put on an exhibition. That it is possible to do it in a fun and creative way.
The total renovations came to a sum of £700, exceeding Holly’s initial budget, that kick-started the travelling art show “Peep”.
She was inspired by the Red Light District in Amsterdam and the Soho area of London in the era of secrecy.
Holly liked the seedy vibe of these places and wanted to incorporate elements in the 1970’s caravan for everyone to experience, for only £1.
The installation surrounds female empowerment and Holly said: “It was very interesting to me that women were in control, and they get to make the decisions and own their bodies”.
“I have always been fascinated by the female form, censorship rules, why nipples are banned and the hypocrisy within society.
“So this little humble caravan is going to portray a big message.”: she added.
Her artwork has a modern take on what is classed as desirable, but in turn is labelled seedy and crude.
Sex work is the oldest profession is the world yet the opinions surrounding it has not evolved with the times.
“Peep” has an element of secrecy and surprises in store for its audience.
The closer you look, the more you will see the deeper meanings behind the pieces and the thoughtful attributes to the sex worker industry.
As said by Holly Inks: “Everybody has a secret, you just don’t know what it is.”
Details about Holly Inks’ artwork, previous shows and upcoming events can be found on her website at www.hollyinks.com