Sunday, May 17, 2009

NY PHOTO FESTIVAL 2009 Round #3


Shocking? You should see the rest of this show!






The Zombies series of Bruce Labruce






















Photo- work by Slava Mogutin

















Photos- The work of Karol Radziszweski


































































More Highlights from the NY Photo Festival .

 This show included work of both known and non-professional photographers, that explored the relationship between photography and SOME specific  sector of  the  Gay culture in the 20th century. Some highlights were Stefan Ruiz’s portrait work  San Francisco Berlin  and an installation by Christopher Clary of photos off of gay social networking sites. 

Curated by Chris Boot, Gay Men Play is an exhibition that makes quite a statement. Art is supposed sometimes to shock, provoke, react, scare and maybe offend but, that is why Art is considered art and liked by some and disliked by others .

Nowadays there is a lot freedom in society and the Internet has generated new outlets for people of all walks of life including gay men to branch out their network and live out their most intimate fantasies in front of a computer.

At a time of which another sector of the Gay Community is trying to tear down another barrier, this time GAY Marriage , here comes this show with a strong and in your face message far...way too away from family values. Was it my favorite show at the NY Photo Festival? ...No. Does it have documentary value,purpose and there is talent in it? Absolutely YES!

Does it worry me as gay man being perceived as part of this lifestyle that most gay men feel like they need to endure to be part of a community ( these days we are bordering mainstream lets face it, gays nowadays  we can live almost everywhere...no?) ? Hell Yeah!

Does it bother me that after so many years of donating money and volunteering tirelessly for AIDS organizations, some of those on line, are  friends of mine (still alive thanks to all my efforts) being  the firsts Pariahs behind a computer still looking for quick sex, drugs and I hope not infecting others? Hell Yeah!

All these questions and more came to mind while observing this show. The Gay Men Play show works in so many levels mostly because it highlights one of the biggest issues that prevails and stereotypes gay men in society... some GAY MEN STILL PLAY and hope it is SAFE!

The portraiture work of Stefan Ruiz is honest and it has a degree of sophistication to some extent. To me, it has documentary value and it demonstrates that we live in a free society in which people are able to express themselves with its appearance and live out its fantasies to its fullest. 








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