The Dirty Show
Russell Exhibition Center
Detroit
Feb. 14, 2026
It’s a Valentine’s Day tradition like no other in Detroit.
The 26th edition of the Dirty Show, one of the largest erotic art exhibitions in the country, was in full effect last night with a completely sold-out crowd. It’s filthy fun for the dirty-minded art lover and could easily convert a prude not in the mood.
I’ve been going and writing about it for years, watching the ebb and flow of the event as it grows and shrinks and struggles with everything that the rest of the art world deals with, like finding the right mix of diversity with its artist representation and its subject matter.
This year was one of the best versions of the Dirty Show I’ve ever seen. No struggle here. Just a packed house in a massive warehouse setting, where it can feel extremely sexy with what’s displayed on the walls and how the crowd is dressed. You also have moments of feeling like you’re at a hillbilly trade hall as a guy in bondage walks by eating nachos and cheese out of a plastic tray.
Jerry Vile, the founder of the Dirty Show, felt the same way about the success of the show.
“It was the first Dirty Show in a while to feel like why we started the Dirty Show in the first place,” he told me over the phone.
The live “boylesque” performances continue to take the cake with caked-up male performers overshadowing the women. That’s not just from the sheer novelty of “boylesque” – I had never heard that term before last year at the Dirty Show – they are truly just a cut above the rest. I just missed the end of Faggedy Randy, who was my absolute favorite performer last year. This year, P. No Noire was the absolute stunner on the main stage.
One of the best installations was Demon Den, “the best little strip club in Detroit.” It’s right there in the description – a make-shift strip club complete with the “world’s smallest side-show performer” Lil Miss Firefly. The experience was like stepping into a David Lynch film.
The stand-outs on the walls this year were artists embracing the arts and crafts movement, like an image of a gimp done in stained glass or several examples of hand-woven rugs and carpets with boobs and butts.
If you missed the fun this past weekend, there’s two more chances to catch the show, including the closing ceremonies on Saturday, Feb. 21.
