When you think of pop art, you might think of legends like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol – figures who challenged the artistic canon by incorporating contemporary iconography into their work. Berlin-based artist Christian Rug is taking it a step further and a couple of degrees hotter.
What happens to pornography when I immerse it in rainbows?
His paintings are “Pop-Porn”, a term he coined to describe his combination of pop culture with lifelike depictions of sex. This July, he’ll showcase his Pop-Porn for the very first time in the new exhibition ‘ICH DU WIR’. The show begs the question: can pornographic imagery be art? Each of his paintings is of a sex act, often very clear and up-close, stylised with vibrant colour combinations, gleeful smiley faces and other exuberant imagery. “What happens to pornography when I immerse it in rainbows – does it still conform to society’s image of something dirty and forbidden?” Rug asks. “I find it very exciting to ‘pop’ or subvert what is usually perceived as a rather harsh, dark genre, and then see how people react.”
Guilt-free pleasure and rejection of shame are the lifeblood of Rug’s art. Like many Berliners, Rug has been transformed by the city’s sex-positive scene, both personally and professionally. But the change did not, shall we say, come so easily.
I think Berlin gives me strength to be so polarising.
Growing up in Potsdam, he was an artsy child in a very traditional environment, he says. Moving to Berlin in 2020 ignited an unforeseen curiosity. “I saw a lot of things that made me a little nervous at first, constellations of people and genders that were new to me!” Rug recalls. “I grew up among normative people. I think Berlin gives me the strength to be so polarising.” Two years later, he made his first “Pop-Porn” painting. Now, ‘ICH DU WIR’ represents an artist’s sexual metamorphosis, and his joy in witnessing others experience the same thing. He and his wife Lisa, whom he credits as an inspirational force, are now active members of the sex-positive community in Berlin, so much so that they recently participated in the ARD documentary F*ck Berlin to discuss their lifestyle and relationship conception.
Rug also has immense gratitude for local venues that make space for the sexually-liberated – including the art café where his show will run. “Engaging with people there about their fantasies, learning more about their sexual experiences, seeing how freely and exuberantly they celebrate is an additional motivation,” says Rug. If you’re looking to penetrate your conventional perceptions this summer, this is a show that’s sure to hit the spot.
- Cocoon Berlin, ‘ICH DU WIR’, opening Jul 12 (20:00), runs through Aug 9, details.
