PornSaints Convert @ The HotMovies 100 Grand Gala
With that big anniversary party I’m throwing for HotMovies.com coming up on August 2nd right here in Philly; I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to some of the talented people coming out to help us celebrate.
Today we shine the spotlight on PornSaints.Org who will be hosting an art exhibition on site. PornSaints will host portraits based on the likenesses of porn stars created by some of the most talented young artists from all over the world. Founded by Francesco D’Isa, the Italian based art community is just over a year old and already making waves at galleries across Europe and the States.
D’Isa and I sat down yesterday to talk about porn, art and religion (all those things your mother warned you to keep out of polite conversation). Here’s what the philosophical pornographer had to say:
Pornsaints: Hey, John
Johnny Zito: Hello!
Pornsaints: Hello!
Johnny Zito: So just to kick off. What is PornSaints.org and what is your affiliation with them?
Pornsaints: Pornsaints.org is, like our headline says, an artistic approach to porn, a pornographic approach to art, a porno-artistic approach to religion but most of all it’s an art community who works with porn stars and the porn world.
I’m the founder and the “Porn Pope” - But we count many artists all over the world like Jeff and Kat who will curate the exhibition at the HotMovies Gala.
Johnny Zito: Is there any special criteria to becoming a ‘porn bishop’ like Jeff and Kat?
Pornsaints: Yes. You must feel good about working with porn stars. You must be an artist. Most important; we must like your art. If you are a nice person you are welcome. But even if you are a famous artist, no Van Gogh if we don’t like you and you’re a jerk.
Johnny Zito: What makes a porn star worthy of Sainthood?
Pornsaints: We have some points on this as well, again, you must be a nice person. You must enjoy the project and want to be part of an artwork. Of course, you must be sexy and smart. But most of all we must feel you are an Holy Sex Worker.
We look for sexy sacred attitudes. How do you do that?
Every church has its mysteries… Plus theres the Pope’s infallible will of course
Johnny Zito: Where did the religious theme come from? What inspired these divine portraits other than the porn stars themselves?
Pornsaints: I wrote a whole essay about this. Most of all is a philosophical joke, I studied philosophy. You can read the essay here.
It’s pretty short both in Italian and English. Anyway To be brief, I think that ascesis and excess have something in common in their roots. In the PornSaints essay, my definition of a saint is mainly philosophical, inspired by many religious concepts and beliefs. It’s closer to Mystic and Oriental definitions (Taoism most of all) more than canonic Christian.
Briefly, if God is the most unreachable and inhuman concept like I think it is, the saint, in character of human being closer to God, renounces to his/her humans features and identity. A cool separation from the world like an extreme behavior and participation are one way to overstep humanity.
It’s a painful way - like the ascetic one as well. Like I wrote in the essay “…the PornSaints dwell in the house of the saints, but got there traveling a different way, and came in knocking at another door. If the saint, in a way, obtained the absolute by clambering up on God (any God), the PornSaints obtained it climbing over man. His way doesn’t go through renouncing the world of man in favor of the world of God, but through the utmost simultaneous participation in opposite aspects of the human world…”
In a few worlds, extremes can coincide (a porn star and an ascetic, a killer and an holy man) in the attempt to reach the coincidence of opposites (God).
Johnny Zito: It’s a rich metaphor and it certainly elevates the work and the work elevates it’s subjects.
Pornsaints: thank you, this was the aim.
Of course, this is some little philosophy about porn and religion but we are respectful of every beliefs etc. etc.
Johnny Zito: So aside from the site you guys take the show on tour?
Pornsaints: Yes, since this year. We were in Berlin. We’ll be in Philly with you guys and later in London. We’re pre-booked for the next year across the US.
Johnny Zito: What’s the response been like so far? Has getting off the net and into the gallery spaces been good for you guys? Are people converting to the porn saints?
Pornsaints: we want to bring porn in the art galleries and art in the porn parties the response in Berlin was great the opening was really fun and the gallery people were lovely I think that we’re converting many people after all art, sex and god we have a good offer for every taste the art world start to look at us with an interested eye.
Johnny Zito: Any stars you’re looking to canonize?
Pornsaints: we have many “work in progress” still unpublished like Misty Haze, Brooke Haven, Ava Rose. We canonized her sister Mia, now we canonize Ava.
We’ve got a couple works in progress; a couple pieces in the future with Dana Vespoli, Athena Hollow, Aurora Snow…
Johnny Zito: Now you live in Italy, birthplace of art and Catholicism…
Pornsaints: true
Johnny Zito: How is the reaction to all of this in your own backyard?
Pornsaints: The reaction is good. We hold two PornSaints party here. The young liberals loves the idea. Of course I suppose bigots do not. Like Vatican.
Johnny Zito: I was just gonna ask if there are any PornSaints hanging in the Vatican.
Pornsaints: I suppose they’ll hang our heads.
Johnny Zito: Ha Ha!
OK last blasphemous question and then I’ll let you go.
Pornsaints: Ready.
Johnny Zito: Of the actual sexy saints, who would make the best Porn Saint - St. Veronica, St. Maria Goretti or Mary Magdalene?
Pornsaints: Hard question. We feel close to Mary Magdalene most of all but we like the other as well. Anyway they’re already saints.
we look for PORNsaints 
Johnny Zito: So she would be the patron saint of porn saints?
Pornsaints: If we’d need a catholic patron of course she will be
Johnny Zito: Well I guess in order to hang something in the Vatican you’ll need someone from their team to vouch for you.
Pornsaints: Hehehe. We have our spies in every church. You can always pick them out because they’re so damn sexy.
Johnny Zito: So John Paul II = Porn Saint. Benedict not so much?
Pornsaints: You find Benedict sexy?
Johnny Zito: In that fetish, leather, German way I guess…
Anything else you want to plug?
Pornsaints: Just to give a look to our site - PornSaints.org To stay tuned about the next exhibitions to have fun in Philly.
And to give a look to my personal portfolio as well, if you have time: gizart.com
Johnny Zito: and if anyone wants to purchase a PornSaint print or original they can get it thru the site?
Pornsaints: yes, they can write us and we’ll provide everything.
Johnny Zito: Splendid. That should do it for me.
Pornsaints: thank you, John!
Johnny Zito: my pleasure!
Johnny Zito is a writer/cartoonist/designer who lives in a big house with three of his childhood friends where they bake cup cakes, jump on beds and stay up real late reading comic books.
