Jerry Vile really takes the cake!

In an opening foreshadowed by one of the most tongue-in-cheek press releases of all time, artist Jerry Vile—best known as organizer of the longstanding international erotic art show The Dirty Show—premiered an exhibition of work and scene at the Inner State Gallery.

Some of the opening-night crowd.

“Friend Impresser” by Jerry Vile.

The opening night event was a spectacle of Vile proportions, in line with the artist’s patented combination of shock tactics and carnival-barker showmanship. Resembling nothing so much as a three-ring circus, the opening featured a cake in the image of “Vessel of Hope,” the giant Crisco can that made headlines when Vile installed it next to the Joe Lewis fist “to ease the pain of bankruptcy;” the Vile-O-Vend art machine, dispensing original art in sticker and lenticular form; and an unveiling of new work that defies explanation or inclusion in a family publication.

The big draw of the night, shrimp cocktail.

As advertised!

The Vile-O-Vend, dispensing bargain art investments.

Guess which arts blogger scored the limited edition Mystery Sticker?

The show at Inner State will run over the next several weeks, giving latecomers a chance to experience a fraction of the action from the opening, but as with most Vile creations, the art is somewhat secondary to the presentation. Where that positions him in his bid to become “King of the Detroit art racket” is anyone’s guess, but what Jerry Vile lacks in artistic talent, he more than makes up for in showmanship.

A buffet of horrors; shrimp cocktail is the least of it.

Art house rats in a taxidermy maze.

Classic salesmanship, Vile style.

Inner State Gallery, in the Eastern Market.

Inner State Gallery: 1410 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-744-6505; innerstategallery.com