Rachel was surprised by the call down to the mailroom. Typically when she’d ordered a package, she’d have been prepared for its arrival by at least three days of e-mail updates. It was bizarre for one to appear without notice.

There was no international label, so it had to be local – very local, given that there was no return address either, just her name and the address she shared with Bertie. The size and shape of it suggested a magazine, but Rachel didn’t remember receiving one of those in the mail since… she counted on her fingers. Nineteen-ninety…

She let the matter drop. It had been a good long while, anyhow.

She managed to get all the way back to her door before she was able to pry the rigid cardboard open, her face scarlet when she saw what lay beneath. She slipped back inside the apartment before any of her neighbours could see what she was holding.

Once the initial embarrassment died down, she dared another look. She supposed, upon second thought, that there was nothing explicit about what the woman painted on the cover was doing, if only because of being hidden behind the publisher’s stamp. Her expression, on the other hand – specifically, the hand that wasn’t covered by the trademark - that particular bit left little to the imagination.

Leafing through the thin, if solid, tome in the privacy of her own four walls, Rachel wondered just where the hell it had come from. Each page was decorated with some new creative perversion, from a bonsai tree grown into a weird topiary cock complete with veiny vines, to a digital mosaic of a man’s o-face formed from a thousand tiny screenshots from various porn sites.

On the reverse side of each image was a synopsis that sounded as if it were written by some Adjunct Professor of Contemporary Smut (A title that brought a self-satisfied smirk to Rachel’s face) followed by an article describing the piece in the artist’s body of work. She glanced at a couple of the summaries, but the dry language and air of scholastic pretension made for a difficult read. And to be honest, the pictures mostly spoke for themselves.

Some of it was hot, sure, but this sort of academic bullshit was typically more up her boyfriend’s alley than her own. Maybe he’d ordered it as some kind of early Christmas present to himself? Rachel hoped that wasn’t the case, the volume looked like it was expensive. Besides, Bertie could have walked to the university bookstore and saved himself a bundle on shipping.

No, she reminded herself - its packaging had been light on detail, but it has been clearly addressed to her. It still didn’t make any—

She turned another page, and the explanation became suddenly, terrifyingly clear.

“Bertie! Why didn’t anyone tell me that my ass was going to be in a fucking book?”

***

From the guide to Uncovering The Beaver: Canadian Erotic Art 1960-present

Title: Reflections

Medium: Photography, Studio

Artist(s): Jan Vanderweert

Date: 2009

This piece has been contributed from an owner who has chosen to remain anonymous. Provenance was originally that of former music producer Hugo Caine. Mr. Vanderweert’s contribution was unattributed, but his business card was found tucked into the frame. The artist has confirmed that he created the work under Mr. Caine’s commission, but has declined to provide commentary for the exhibit.

This piece is presented in a 1:1 aspect ratio – unusual for portrait photography, but typical of an album cover, which is likely intentional given the occupation of Mr. Vanderweert’s client. The film stock used by the artist emphasizes high contrasts and bright hues, giving it a distinct period feel and recalling the poster art of something akin to Prince’s Purple Rain – or perhaps considering the subject, the unreleased cover of Great White’s Hooked.

The image is one of the few non-commercial (Read: non-pornographic) depictions of erotic spanking. The model (Unidentified, believed to be the then-girlfriend of Mr. Caine), having recently been put over an unseen master’s knee, uses a full-length mirror to assess the result.

Particularly striking is that while the model is the central point of focus in the composition, she appears in silhouette, with few visible details – her jawline, a hand, a thigh, some hint of pubis. She is lit from behind, from a source above and to the rear of the mirror, creating a halo effect that accents the texture of both her hair and the dark wool sweater that is her only clothing. As a result, the viewer’s eye is drawn to her image in the mirror, more specifically the warm colour and round shape of her posterior. 

The title highlights the dualism of spanking as both sexual foreplay and a form of discipline. One can imagine that the subject of the photograph has been given the admonition to “Go to your room and think about what you’ve done”. The choice of a model that is both physically diminutive (Suggesting youth) but possessed of a curvaceous figure (Indicating sexual maturity) comments further on this juxtaposition.

Finally, the artist has chosen to have his subject facing away from the viewer, which not only serves to anonymize the woman’s identity as mentioned above, but also posits the camera as a voyeur in this space. While it is an unquestionably erotic piece, it is purposely ambiguous as to whether this woman is aroused by the act, or if we are witnessing her tending to her wounds. Those familiar with the allegations made against the late Hugo Caine may read their own interpretations into the work. Mr. Caine perished in an automobile accident in 2022.

Jan Vanderweert operates a studio out of Niagara-on-the-Lake that specializes in boudoir photography. Out of respect for the artist’s wishes, his contact information is not included in this volume. “Reflections” is his only spanking-related piece.

The original can be viewed at our gallery until June 30, 2024. For tickets and hours of operations, please refer to the website.