Dr. Susan Block's
SPEAKEASY GALLERY
is pleased to present

As we journey into the brave new world beyond the present, we know only that there will be change. But what kind of change? It's sure to be sexy; change usually is. But will the new millennium bring us some fresh form of Sodom and Gomorrah, climaxing with a Big Bang of Y2K Chaos and X-rated Firewire, swing clubs, porn sites and abortion clinics burning in an Apocalyptic Blaze of Wrathful Fundamentalist Fury, all covered by the New Media in breathless, ratings-grabbing detail?

Or will the Apocalypse (assuming, in the spirit of millennial madness, that there will be one) usher in a New Jazz-Age Jerusalem, an era of ethical hedonism, tolerance and tantric bliss, heralded by multi-cultural, transgendered cherubs blowing their horns, reviving our passions along with our spirits? Will the turn of the 21st century turn us toward erotophobic Neo-Puritanism? Or will we become more like our kissin' cousins, the bonobos, who actually use sex to keep the peace?

No one really knows, of course, but everyone has a point of view. Especially artists. And in the Final Fall of the Old Millennium, Dr. Susan Block's Speakeasy Gallery has invited some of the finest artists in LA (plus a few from out-of-town) to create Apocalyptic Erotica in all media for a new show, "Erotic Art of the Apocalypse," opening Saturday night, November 13, 1999. Artists exhibiting new works include Skee Goodhart, Ashley Lawrence, Viktor, Rick Dante, Barbara Mendes, Doug Johns, Glenn Campbell, Jolie Barry, Lanning Gold, Tom Zimmerman, Julie Carlson, Lars Stewart, Joseph Franklin and Morrie Cramer. On Opening Night, in the spirit of the old-time apocalyptic preachers, Dr. Suzy, as the Irreverend Doctor Susan Block, will lead an Old-Time Sexual Revival Meeting to celebrate the power and glory of Sexual Revelation.

Founded in February, 1999 by Dr. Block and her husband/collaborator Pr. Maximillian R. Lobkowicz, along with art curator Kim Mendoza, the Speakeasy Gallery is located within the Dr. Susan Block Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences on the second floor of a beautiful old brick building that used to be a genuine speak-easy and bordello in the 1920s. The location, on 1235 S. Hope Street, is in the center of downtown LA's burgeoning art, fashion, financial and convention district, down the street from the Neon Art Museum and the LA Fashion Center and just around the corner from the LA Convention Center and developing Staples Sports Arena.

It is also one of the few art galleries in the world with its very own bar, a stunning 25-foot oakwood, leather and marble-tiled structure left from the building's historic Prohibition Era days of illicit drinking, gambling and sex. Next to the Gallery are studios where Dr. Block broadcasts her television shows and tapes her videos, including a burlesque stage from the building's original speak-easy days. There is also a retail space for books, tapes, erotic toys and cards, a dance floor, offices, and areas for seminars and private therapy sessions.

The Speakeasy Gallery extends into cyberspace via Dr. Block's 2000-page website, and several hundred images can be viewed and purchased at eroticsgallery.com. Additional pieces may be seen at drsusanblock.com. The site includes works from the Speakeasy Gallery's first two exhibitions, "Ethical Hedonism: The New Morality for the Next Millennium," to be spotlighted on "Real Sex 25" on HBO, and "Foot Art (currently on display)," featuring the first Foot Fetish Art Exhibition & Salon, as well as images from the upcoming show, "Erotic Art of the Apocalypse."

The erotic aspects of the Medieval Apocalypse are perhaps best represented by the late 15th-early 16th century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch who created surreal masterpieces of apocalyptic erotica in triptych oils like "The Last Judgment," "The Hay Wain" and "The Garden of Earthly Delights."

Real or surreal, an Apocalypse is a revolution and a revelation of what seems to be the Truth, overturning the old order, replacing tradition with passion, until new traditions are forged. Since sexuality, in some form, is always a part of that passion, erotica is a vital element of apocalyptic art. This is evident in Bosch's magnificent, deeply spiritual yet wildly carnal paintings, as it is in works featured in the Speakeasy Gallery's eye-popping, upcoming show, "Erotic Art of the Apocalypse."

For more information, viewings or revelations, please call Kim Mendoza at 213.749.1330.

See Art from the Speakeasy Gallery
(includes some of the Apocalypse Exhibit)

Find out About the LAPD Raid of the
Erotic Art of the Apocalypse exhibit.

Read about the Exhibit in the March, 2000 Libido