A Female Thing

You don't hear much about merkins these days. That's probably a good thing. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a merkin is "an artificial covering of hair for the female pubic region; a pubic wig for women." They used to be popular before the days of regular baths, when lice were still a powerful force in human affairs. The merkin was also a useful device for syphilitic prostitutes who wished to hide their symptoms. Modern hygiene and medicine have made the merkin irrelevant. Except to artists. Curator Linda Gass challenged 23 artists from around the world to use it as a baseline form for their work. The resulting group exhibition, Intimate Apparel, opens today at the Pi Gallery (419 East 18th Street, 816-210-6534). A wide array of artistic techniques will be on display - weaving, embroidery, crochet, felting, burning and mixed- media assemblage - incorporating such materials as bobby pins, felt, fab- ric and human hair. The show opens at 1 p.m., with a reception from 6 to 10. Come and see whether the artists have succeeded in their mission of "reviving an undercover coverup."

- SANTIAGO RAMOS

Return to Buzz