Whipped cream

If you like your art with cream on top, don’t miss the fifth annual erotica art show this weekend. Founded by former Atlanta artist William Downs in the mid-1990s, the show has taken place in various alternative venues around town, including the Lake Claire Baptist Church and the Mattress Factory. This year, it’s being held in a subterranean space attached to a seedy strip mall on Howell Mill Road, the perfect place for illicit sex. Local erotic art supporters Jefferson Holt and Kim Parker are whipping the cream, while Downs stirs in artists from Maryland Institute College of Art where he’s attending grad school.

More than 60 artists from Atlanta, London, New York, L.A. and Baltimore will present their notions of titillating pottery, paintings, drawings, photography, film, installation, video and fashion. “From previous years, I can say that what’s erotic to some is certainly not to others,” says Parker. “It might be the rolling hills of a landscape that recall a woman’s hips, but there are also images that, well, might be considered porn.”

Veteran erotica artists Shana Robbins, James Booth, Sarah Emerson and Melvin Occasio are in the mix, along with new contributors. Atlantan Peter Bahouth, who collects stereoscopic images, shares racy burlesque and glamour shots from the 1950s, and an installation by Wisconsin artist Sara Daleiden will feature a seductive image projected through a clear plastic dress.

cream erotica art show takes place March 31 from 7-10 p.m. at 1181 Howell Mill Road (between 14th Street and Huff Road) $3. 404-377-0780 or 404-607-1913.??