If the thought of sitting in a dark room, watching the very best (and the very worst) of vintage porn with a bunch of strangers disturbs you in any way, you must see this show. There is a first time for everything and it is almost guaranteed that, after witnessing some of the footage Artw*nk has to offer, you’ll never be the same again.
The dazzling Ophelia Bitz is far more than just a hostess, she’s a temptress, hot enough to make any gay man straight or any straight woman gay. Having said that, she’s also incredibly inviting, creating a warm presence onstage, making everyone feel comfortable and more relaxed about the rather bizarre situation they find themselves in. She is sharing with us her own personal porn collection which she has researched and gathered over the past 18 months in preparation for the show and, despite how odd that sounds, she makes it feel strangely normal.
From singing about the many different types of pornography to showing some of her favourite vintage porn movies and adding some delightful commentary throughout, Bitz has an incredibly charming yet devilish nature. She proceeds to educate the audience on good oral sex etiquette before inviting two unsuspecting victims onstage to showcase their very best oral skills on some carefully sculpted cucumber pieces, much to the audience’s amusement.
Bitz ends by explaining how, through her 18 month research project, she has fallen in love with the art of vintage porn, the people, the style, everything. She puts forth her well conceived argument that it is much better than the porn of today which is mostly very sad and depressing, 'it doesn’t make me feel good, it only gets me there.' It is often debated in the philosophy of aesthetics whether pornography can be considered as art or not and with Artw*nk, it seems Bitz wins her case.
