Sex and art belong together. This was the idea behind S39, Kyiv’s first erotic art space that opened in March.
The place is a blend of a sex shop and an art gallery. But it isn’t simply about sex: Its founder Kostiantyn Savvopulo, 29, wants it to help promote sexual education and healthy relationships.
“The aim of opening this erotic space was to liberate our minds, to show that talking about sexuality and desires is not shameful,” Savvopulo told the Kyiv Post.
Savvopulo picked the name S39 because the letter S reminds him of a woman’s body, and 39 is just a number he likes.
The founder believes that there is a lack of sexual education in Ukraine, and people are afraid to talk freely about everything that concerns sex.
“Not all parents can explain the topic of sex to their children and thus, children usually get this information in a very strange way,” he says. “The fact that we do not have an appropriate sexual education creates a lot of complexes, and soon brings problems to relationships.”
New angle
While S39 sells sex-related accessories, it’s not a sex shop per se.
Since the main idea of the venue is to help people lose their shyness and look for new experiences, it sells accessories that serve this purpose: masks, harness sets, handcuffs and leather crops.
The team believes that these things can help people get rid of complexes and see their bodies from a new perspective.
“Our space aims to show that erotic accessories are not vulgar, but beautiful and accessible,” Savvopulo says.
Savvopulo opened S39 in March together with his wife Katya, 22. They decided they wanted to not just sell erotic items, but use the space as a gallery for erotic art.
S39, an erotic gallery and store in Kyiv, sells various masks made from leather, as well as harness sets, hand cuffs, paddles and belts. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The venue’s art director Dariia Dryhola, 29, believes that artists often face censorship in Ukrainian society, so for many of them “our space is a place to show their creativity freely and easily.”
“Artists want to talk about sexuality, they want people to perceive the beauty of human body and to admire it,” she says.
The ongoing exhibition features eight paintings from four modern Ukrainian artists, but S39 plans to expand and collaborate with other artists.
Anna Kozyreva, 32, is one of the Ukrainian artists who decided to exhibit her pieces at the S39 erotic space. She says that working on erotic paintings helped her see herself differently.
“I personally perceive erotic art as a kind of work on myself,” Kozyreva says. “Before I became an artist and started loving my own body I had a lot of complexes.”
Handmade accessories
According to Savvopulo, apart from being more open to erotic art, Ukrainians need to change their attitude towards sexual accessories.
“We do not tell people that they should definitely buy and use all our accessories, we advise them to talk and discuss their preferences, with no shame,” he says.
Kostiantyn Savvopulo, a co-founder of S39, shows erotic accessories to the Kyiv Post on July 17. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Savvopulo is a photographer. He started his career by making graduation albums, and soon became a wedding photographer. But throughout his career, Savvopulo found himself attracted to the beauty of a human body, and to erotica. This drive led him to open S39.
“We do not sell regular paraphernalia that can be found in sex shops, and we only have handmade goods and natural materials,” Savvopulo says.
The prices of erotic accessories sold here vary from $20 to $500, with some pieces being even more expensive.
Starting from August, S39 plans to arrange the so-called Drink and Draw events. The venue will invite people who have never painted but have an interest in erotica, and have them draw a nude model.
“These would be figure-drawing events, where people can depict a nude figure decorated with our accessories,” Dryhola says.
S39 (erotic shop and art gallery). 3 Oleksandra Dovzhenka St. 11 a. m. — 7 p. m. +38093 569 6606
