The devil is in the details

On our block there are two art galleries, one I've never set foot in, and one I stop at almost daily.  The one I visit all the time is a lovely space devoted primarily to art that is created with reused, recycled, or natural materials.  They put up some wonderful installations and exhibits.  They also host wine and cheese parties every other month, and the owner has the cutest dog that hangs around the sidewalk outside the gallery.  

I love art - I would own lots of it if I had money - but the reason I stop by this gallery all the time is less about art appreciation and more about my kid.  He loves the dog, and he loves looking at the exhibits - a good thing, right?  Well...

Last week we stopped in to see the latest exhibit.  It's sculpture collage that is made from magazines.  That's the easiest way I can explain it.  There's a wolf, nearly actual size, hanging from the ceiling.  It is a sort of papier-mache that's covered in tiny photos cut from magazines.  And if you get up close and examine the legs of the wolf you will notice that they aren't just a random beige pattern, the legs are actually LEGS, or photos of legs, lots of legs.  Neat-O!  The mouth of the wolf is made of photos of men's suits and so on and so forth.  

My son took an immediate shine to a piece that is set up on a small table and has wires connecting it to a button on the wall that says "Push". We were admiring the piece when the gallery owner came over, pushed the button, and brought the sculpture to life.  This is a two-piece sculpture.  An alligatorish monster thing wiggles and opens up its mouth and takes a chomp at a beautiful fan-tail goldfish sculpture that swims in a circle above the monster.  My son was mesmerized.  We watched for quite a while.

I got a little closer and took a good look at the tiny magazine photo collage pieces that made the monster.  And then I saw it.  Or I should say, I saw THEM.  The beast is pink and red and beige and brown and very pretty because he is made of teeny tiny photos of women's breasts; big knockers, skinny titties, different colors and shapes, each meticulously trimmed photo about the size of a fingernail.  Boobs, you guys - a beast of boobs.  

I'm not sure my kid noticed this unique feature, but we went back to visit the piece several times last week.  Yesterday we stopped by to see it one more time, and I think it's going to have to be the last time because I noticed something else about the monster - his big chomping teeth are big honking penises.  

It's not that I find the sculpture offensive; it's a cool work of art, cute and whimsical and fun to admire.  But when the kid finally does start to notice the detail I don't think I know how to answer the questions that would follow.  Sure it's funny now, but what if he started having nightmares about a monster with tally whacker teeth and a tail made of boobs?  

Have you exposed your kid to any sort of accidental porn or other inappropriate material?  Oops.