This photo series was my venture into Queer Politics/Concepts, challenging concepts of Masculinity and Religion. It was my personal decision to cancel this Gallery opening due to the censorship of this series, per the Gallery owners fear of "alienating their clientele".
It is important to remember that not all art will be received with the reaction one has in mind. It is a certainty that some people will hate it, but that should never stop one from creating and sharing.
I believe all art is up for personal interpretation. I believe that bringing one's personal experience into the meaning of artwork is what makes any art resonate with its audience . I am loath to explain my artwork for this reason. My remarks are intended to provide insight not explanation. Thank you for looking.
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The Death Of Cruising
Based on the idea that the more the gay community assimilates, the more of our culture we seem to lose, The Death of Cruising is a makeshift funeral for the days of tea rooms, truck stops, back rooms and passing glances.
Tele
Tele is about the televangelists who push hate to advertise their "religion." . These hateful people have gained notoriety and wealth for Condemning the LGBTQ+ Community. This is a visual representation of religion as a commodity, to be bought and sold to further some agenda. passed off as doing some god's work.
Stephen / The Second:
This piece was inspired by the homosexualization of religious Imagery most notably
Derek Jarman’s ‘Sebastiane’ (1976).
The intermingling of religion, homoeroticism and martyrdom really excited me. Having grown up in a religious household, I had always felt such shame for my own sexuality, something I vehemently denied till much later. So for this image I chose to portray St Stephen as a Bearish man, lending well to my personal taste in men.
Stephen was the first Christian martyr. He was stoned to death and as he died, he foretold the coming of god. Acts 7:55 “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”
This portrait is paired with "The Second" ...perhaps a more perverse literal translation of scripture.
Title: The Second
Lean In: This Image was based on a Conversation seen on an Online Traditional Menswear Forum. The original poster (OP) had divulged that he had been given a pair of Sock Garters as part of being in a friends wedding party, and that he absolutely Loved them and had incorporated them into his daily dress. He asked if anyone else was partial to this menswear accessory from years past which prevented slouchy dress socks . His query was immediately met with the response “Girly-man wear” before a few other folks responded in solidarity with the OP.
I got to thinking how funny it was that even in a forum full of men devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance, someone could still be deemed "too effeminate” for wearing an item that used to be worn by the average man. I wanted to take that conversation and essentially say, "What's more masculine than a finely dressed businessman sucking dick?".
Broken Chains is based on the idea of embracing the feminine aspects of my sexuality. I wanted to free myself of the self-imposed constraints I had previously kept by staying in the closet. The struggle to correct oneself, to act butch, for fear of being seen as less than, is rooted in the misogyny that is still rampant in modern Queer culture. Some of our self-loathing homosexual brethren use the moniker "Masc4Masc" on gay dating sites as a way to deter those with feminine traits. I just wanted an image that felt empowering and sexual that might make a person question the visual imagery of masculinity.
All images © 2017 Matt Reyes.