Amy Misurelli Sorensen at Luckystar

All images courtesy of Amy Misurelli Sorensen.

This Friday, Luckystar Studio opens Pin-ups, work by local artist Amy Misurelli Sorensen — but these aren’t your grandpa’s pin-ups. While Misurelli’s illustrations may have a tinge of Vargas to them, think more Peaches meets The Guerilla Girls.

Misurelli’s images of women are both provocative and shocking, and act as commentary on how women are viewed in contemporary culture. Using her art as an escape from a strict Italian Catholic background, Misurelli describes her work as a weapon against our limited view on female sexuality.

The artist first met gallery owners/curators Gene and Bridget Griffith Evans at the Luckystar Studio exhibit, Last Laugh at the Milwaukee Art Museum last September.

“She asked about out submission process, and the rest is history,” says Gene Evans.

Misurelli uses friends and family as her models and muses, taking what some might consider flaws and celebrating them by exaggerating the female form, personality and gender traits. In a society where women’s bodies are used to sell everything from cars to beer, Misurelli understands how female beauty and sexuality can translate into power. As such, she is fearless in how she plays with these images, messing with our ideas of femininity, gender roles, sexiness, vulnerability and strength.

“Amy’s work was originally intended for an exhibit of “he said /she said,” [showing] sexuality from the male and female perspective,” says Evans. “We couldn’t find a male that fit the exhibit (pardon the pun) and we thought Amy’s work was strong enough to stand on it’s own, so we decided to something we rarely do here and show her solo.”

Misurelli works in several mediums, including photography and film. However, it is drawing that remains her primary outlet. For her, drawing is an intimate experience and the basis for creating art; she also says that drawing is economical and the results are immediate.

Her interest in art was piqued as a child. Shy and quiet, she lost herself in a world of coloring and drawing. Art could have remained a hobby, but Misurelli’s maternal grandmother convinced her that art could be a career.

“She recognized my talent and had me exhibiting and competing while I was still a student in high school,” says Misurelli.  Today, she exhibits at galleries all over the United States.

Misurelli points to many sources of inspiration for her fluid and visceral drawings, such as film, graphic novels and even teaching. She admits however, that her disdain and distrust of mainstream culture and entertainment, religion, advertising, porn and video games fuels much of her work.

Not surprisingly,  she gets a lot of interesting feedback on her art.

“Someone once said, ‘I don’t know if I am turned on or terrified of your drawings of women’ — and I like that!” says Misurelli.”That quote/critique resonates in my mind in the execution of each new drawing.”

Pin-ups: Amy Misurelli Sorensen opens Friday, June 3 at Luckystar Studio, located on the third floor of  the Marshall Building (207 E. Buffalo St.). An opening reception will be held 6-10 p.m. and the show will remain on view through July 16. For more information and gallery hours, click here or call 414-426-8361.