This publication, which accompanies the exhibition of the same name at the Philara Collection, focuses on aspects of freedom, self-determination and the ecstasy of physical love, bringing together two internationally renowned positions: William N. Copley and Dorothy Iannone. While Copley was influenced by Dadaism, Surrealism and Pop Art, Dorothy Iannone developed her own unique visual language through American Expressionism, which was predominantly male-dominated in the 1950s.

For the first time, the works of Copley and Iannone will be shown side by side. The work of both artists reveals playful formulations of freedom and an appreciation of the everyday, as well as a humorous approach to recurring pictorial elements, symbolism, narrative and text.

Throughout their lives, the two artists had few points of contact. Independently of each other, they developed a highly consistent visual language that reveals parallels as well as clear differences. Iannone's images are characterised by the breaking down of gender and role clichés, social norms and the associated fight against censorship; Copley, on the other hand, has chosen images that reveal a deeply ambiguous sense of humour in their rigorous formulation and exaggeration of gender roles to the point of absurdity.