Close to Pleasure

Emma Xhaxho’s Close to Pleasure lives at the threshold of fantasy and reality. Hardware as fetish wear, dreamscapes as paintings, and inanimate objects as surrogates for the artist’s own body, Xhaxho embraces what some may consider lewd, reminding us that the line between indecent and intimate is razor thin.

The works in Close to Pleasure are created with equal parts humor and seriousness, as the most significant moments in life tend to be. But, Xhaxho does not subject viewers to imagery for the sake of reaction. Rather, the works beckon viewers closer, palpating at the aches of desire in each person’s gut and asking them if they can turn that pain into pleasure.

Join us for the opening reception of Close to Pleasure on Friday, September 11, 2026 at 5-9pm at Art City.

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Emma Xhaxho is an interdisciplinary, first-generation American artist born and raised in Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently pursuing her MFA at Washington University's Sam Fox School in St. Louis. Her practice spans sculpture, fibers, printmaking, and installation.

Image courtesy of the artist.

September 11 - October 3 at Art City

Emma Xhaxho