exhibitions

Naked prostitutes and heroin: Is the R.C. Horsch exhibit in Kensington art or porn — or a catalog of victims?

A self-described "sexual predator" and "sociopath" will exhibit at The Papermill Gallery this weekend his photographs of heroin-addicted prostitutes. He once called heroin a "very effective" date rape drug.

A self-described "sexual predator" and "sociopath" will exhibit at The Papermill Gallery this weekend his photographs of heroin-addicted prostitutes. He once called heroin a "very effective" date rape drug.

On Friday, June 6, an exhibition of the work of photographer R.C. Hörsch will open for a two-weekend run at The Papermill Gallery in Kensington.

One part of the exhibition, “Retrospective,” will comprise more than 100 of Hörsch's sexually explicit photographs — among them might be those you can view on his website, like images of a nude woman cutting herself, nude women bound, chained and bloody, a woman hanging from a cross and women crammed into cages. One photo series shows a woman using an allegedly real knife as a sex toy.

Hörsch (his website says he was 70 in 2013; a press release says he’s now 81) calls himself a "sociopath" and a "villain" on his website, as well as a counterfeiter and art forger, a marijuana grower (for which he spent four years in prison) an army deserter and a performer in more than 100 porn films.

He has also made films depicting forced sex, graphic death and sexual slavery. His biography online says he is "known for" his increasingly misogynic exploration of sexuality.

The second part of the Philly exhibition, “Transgressions,” will display Hörsch’s 15 years of photographs of female heroin addicts and prostitutes in Kensington. It is a minimalist installation in which a large screen will play a video of Hörsch’s images. The women in the images are all nude as they shoot up heroin or lay naked in beds with visible injection sores or self-harm scars. 

As the video progresses, the women portrayed are more and more strung out, with more track marks, wasting further away. The video ends with an image of a dead woman on an autopsy table, her organs visible, and then footage of her cremation. The video is also available in its entirety on Hörsch’s website.

A press release for Hörsch’s show says:

“This exhibition asks if his often transgressive images can possibly be art? Or, as many critics and philosophers claim, are art and pornography completely and forever mutually exclusive?”

I began looking into Hörsch’s work with the “art versus pornography” controversy ringing in my ears. That is, after all, what the press materials regarding this show (and much of Hörsch’s photography) are proclaiming as a key point in the discussion of his work. As with the work of many artists, that can certainly be part of the discussion. Nudity in art can be contentious, sexualized or not. 

But when it comes to the vulnerability of naked sex workers who are addicted to drugs, exploitation should be another, larger consideration. What Hörsch’s website and PR don’t mention is a decidedly disturbing interview he gave in 2006 to Bizarre magazine about his work. It’s out there, in print and online, and Hörsch’s unapologetic attitude toward his photography indicates he might not care if you know that he abuses the women he photographs.

Because he admits to being a sexual predator, enabler and exploiter of his subjects.  

It’s up to the reader to decide whether to see this exhibition. It’s up to the viewer how to feel about it. What wasn’t apparent without a little digging is what might exactly be behind the photographs on display in this exhibition.

Before diving into that 2006 interview, a quick rundown of the initial “art versus pornography” discussion that might inform it:

Generally speaking, it’s poor journalism to spout dictionary definitions, but it feels necessary in this context. Stay with me: 

Pornography: printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.

Art: The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

 So, what we’ve got in “Transgressions”:

As far as art:

Expression of human creative skill: Photography, check. [Note: on Hörsch’s website, it says that art historian and curator Luis De La Cruz calls Hörsch “a postmodern master unrivaled in composition, light and the subtle use of color…” I can’t find that quotation online anywhere. And “Luis De La Cruz" might be referring to Angel Luis De La Cruz, the only name I can find within art world publications.]

The production of works to be appreciated for their beauty: Track marks and gaunt faces are not considered "beautiful" in any traditional sense.

For their emotional power: Undoubtedly, even if those emotions are negative.

As far as porn:

Explicit display of sexual organs and activity: Check. The images in “Transgressions” aren’t all “naked woman non-sexually shoots up heroin.” Some images show women laying on beds with their legs apart, in a masturbatory pose.

The intent to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings: That’s where things get dicey.

Hörsch’s agent, curator and publisher, Stanley Stokowski, says on Hörsch’s website:

“If pornography can be defined as images or prose designed for arousal, then much of Hörsch’s work is clearly not pornographic in the sense that, hopefully, few people are sexually aroused by images of violence, dead bodies and grotesquely wasted heroin addicts.”

But what about those people who are aroused? Like the photographer himself.

In the 2006 interview with Bizarre magazine writer Kate Hodges, Hörsch discusses his New York City project, “Heroin,” which is described almost exactly like “Transgressions.” He says his purpose “is to communicate… my intent is some sort of thought-provoking correspondence between the image and the viewer.”

Says Hörsch:

“I think that anyone who find these images arousing should worry about themselves.”

 But then, when the interviewer asks how he feels when taking pictures of the women:

“…my obsession is sex. Dark, fetid, extreme sex… do I get aroused by young women (some beautiful) shooting heroin? I surely do.”

And when asked, “You have said your prime motivation for taking pictures is your dick. Do you have sex with these girls?”

He says only, “Yes.”

And his answers to a few questions about his work, including, “How would you respond to those who say you’re exploiting vulnerable people?”

“I would say, ‘What’s your point?'" 

And, “I am an empathetic, caring sexual predator.” And, “I never pay or provide drugs directly. But I certainly enable.” And, “I push things as far as I can. More than once, I have photographed a woman shooting heroin cooked with urine.”

 And, perhaps most stomach-churning of all:

“But in reality, heroin, like most narcotics, totally kills the sex drive in the user. But for the observer, it certainly makes the user susceptible, pliable and even willing to endure all sorts of sexual degradation and abuse. Kind of a very effective (albeit dangerous) ‘date rape’ drug."

Then he adds, "No, I certainly don't encourage rape or heroin." 

Whether Hörsch is desperate for shock value or simply trolling everyone, it's very possible that the images in “Transgressions” — if his behaviors in Kensington were in any way similar to his admitted opinions and behaviors in the photo series in New York — are the grotesque display of the moments captured before strung out, desperate women engage in the “prime motivation” of a self-described sexual predator, enabler and sociopath.

So, again: Is this art?

Here is the interview with Bizarre (NSFW, graphic nude images).

“Trangressions” will be open June 6-8 and June 13-15 at The Papermill Gallery, 2825 Ormes St..