The 13
2023
Photographs on Tissue with Metal Leaf, Vellum, and Rag
As a physique artist, I aim to emulate a particular physical presence. Defining that aesthetic has revealed how enmeshed my beliefs about beauty and masculinity are.
Both share similar interior components that leak outwards. Of course, confidence is a central element. Without arrogance or permission, beauty and masculinity are at home in the world. Their strength resides in a wholeness of being. Rooted firmly in an unshakable identity, a calm assurance radiates to the surface.
In that expanding glow are more alluring and elusive elements. Beauty attempts to embody higher ideals: kindness, generosity and compassion. These are virtues I expect masculinity to defend. Neither are singularities. True beauty invites onlookers to participate. Masculine strength isn’t realized until it protects and promotes others. In service, both elevate and become tangible.
Through pose, location, and a combination of materials I set out to express that ethos. These diminutive self-portraits are printed on tissue paper backed with gilding. They lie on a sheet of vellum atop a rag board. The gilding adds a luminosity to the dry, crinkled surface. A gentle halo surrounds the image. This juxtaposition of materials embodies what I believe Beauty and Masculinity are: an ethereal illumination of our humanity.
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