Sexy, steamy, sensual - these are not terms used to describe the average art show.

The Erotic Art Show, however, is anything but average.

Curated by Calgary sculptor George Duncan, the show, featuring an array of paintings and sculpture, opened Friday at the artist-run Artpoint Gallery and Studios. This weekend's gala opening festivities, slated for today from 1 to 10 PM, will feature everything from bellydancers and erotic hors d'oeuvres. Check out www.artpoint.ca for more information.

"There's going to be a wide spectrum of art ranging from tasteful to shocking," promises Calgary artist Sam Hester, whose classy nude self-portraits will be on display for the duration of the show. "As for our audience, we're expecting brave people - or shy people who want to feel brave."

Hester, 31, is one of seven artists, five of them local, participating in a show she believes to be the first of its kind mounted in Calgary.

Deciding the show's raison d'etre proved interesting, to say the least.

"Some of the artists thought that, in such a conservative city as Calgary, people need an erotic art show to scandalize everybody and shake things up," Hester says with a smile. "But others, like me, feel that eroticism is in your mind already and you don't need to spell it out for people."

Whatever their thoughts on such a provocative subject, however, Hester says the show's artists ultimately share the same sentiments.

"Even though we all have different points of view, we're trying to do the work that we think is right, what we think is erotic."