QUEER ART

Many revered artists throughout recent art history are (or were assumed to be) queer. Gay artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, Francis Bacon and Gilbert & George. Between them they contributed to many genres and styes of art including painting, craft, conceptual, pop, performance and collage. In the post-Stonewall era these LGBT artists flourished, pushing through into the mainstream. And while not all of their artwork was specifically gay-themed, in many cases sexuality was a central part of the artists’ creative expression.

In recent years even the once-ignored homoerotic drawings of Tom of Finland have grown from being seen only in queer pornographic magazines to becoming exhibited internationally in major gallery spaces.

Likewise, the erotic black and white photography of Robert Mapplethorpe – once deemed too explicit to be hung in galleries – has since been celebrated since the artist’s death (and even included in a recent show at the Guggenheim Museum).

Indeed, some of these queer creatives hit big from their early days. Warhol went global through his pairing of celebrity of expression with pop art. However, one could argue that perhaps the most successful (or recognizable) queer artist from this era is actually Keith Haring. His stick men images and slogans – that often tackled issues around the HIV/AIDS crisis in the queer community during the 80s and early 90s – have become a worldwide phenomenon. Nowadays his gay artwork can be found on T-shirts and underwear after being licensed globally (which, wanting to bring art to the masses, Haring would probably approve of). 

THE RISE OF GAY ARTWORK

Indeed, the good news is that as LGBT people have become accepted and celebrated, so has queer and gay artwork. But unless you have a few hundred thousands to spare, your chances of being an original piece of work for sale by one of the gay artists mentioned above is zero.

Thankfully, newer queer artists have come through recently such as filmaker/photographer Bruce LaBruce, painter Gio Black Peter, SUPERM and collage artist Calvin Holbrook, producing queer-themed work that is affordable to a new generation of collectors. If you’re interested in finding gay art by a globally-exhibited artist for sale at an affordable price, read on.

QUEER ARTIST: CALVIN H.

Calvin H. is a contemporary British gay artist who creates predominantly queer-themed artwork, working mainly within collage. He has exhibited globally as part of group shows, LGBT art fairs, and also solo at galleries in London, Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, Berlin and Mexico. His worked has been showed alongside contemporaries including Brian Kokosa, Abdul Vas, Jeff Zilm, Darja Bajagic, Luis Miguel Bendana, Donna Huanca and Przemek Pyszczek.

Calvin has private art collectors in many of the cities he’s exhibited in. The artist originally found success with his cult anti-celebrity fanzine Hate, which is included in celebrated queer artist AA Bronson’s co-authored book, Queer Zines.

“Calvin Holbrook is a contemporary British queer artist who creates LGBT and gay artwork, working predominantly with collage.”

Working almost entirely with found imagery, Calvin alters the pre-existing narratives of carefully-chosen materials through selective and precise collage and photomontage, resulting in bold yet delicate queer artworks, which comment on sexuality and, more often than not, homosexuality.

These new narratives are further defined by incorporating wordplay either into the gay artworks themselves or their titles, to create tongue-in-cheek, humorous pieces.

The artist incorporates erotic imagery taken from vintage gay pornographic magazines found in flea markets and online. He collages these images with equally-aged pictures of things such as cakes, roses, electrical equipment, sometimes incorporating speech bubbles, giving the artworks a ‘gay pop art’ feel.

EXPLORING QUEER IDEAS

The gay art featured in many of Calvin Holbrook’s series – such as You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess and POP-Tartz! –makes tongue-in-cheek references to issues affecting queer communities. For example, the hyper-sexualisation of gay men within LGBT media and the rapidly changing landscape of gay dating and the recent destruction of queer meeting spaces.

As we’re all (perhaps painfully) aware, contemporary LGBT, queer and gay dating is undergoing a radical shift with the proliferation of smartphone dating apps. Men are often reduced to emotionless, clickable torsos which make sex as easy as ordering a pizza.

Porn puppets are spliced with images from retro lifestyle, cookery and gardening magazines, creating skewered commentaries on the hyper-sexualization of gay men within popular culture and modern queer dating.

Whilst at first glance some works appear simple in construction, closer inspection reveals that the form, colour and positioning of each cutout is critically considered with regard to the main image.

 Achieving this perfect combination of puzzle pieces is a mix of patient perseverance as well as chance and coincidence. Alongside the meditative nature of hand-cutting each individual piece, these techniques further concrete the artist’s practice and output as an antithesis to our fast-paced digital lives.

“Calvin H. alters the pre-existing narratives of carefully-chosen materials through selective and precise collage, resulting in bold yet delicate gay artworks.”

Likewise, the gay media's emphasis and promotion of sex, physique and partying puts pressure on younger gay men to conform to these specific mentalities, perhaps helping fuel issues around bareback sex, narcissism, drug use and body image pressures that run throughout the queer community and beyond. Calvin H.’s artwork questions if the LGBT media help to perpetuate and encourage these myths about gay men or if they simply reflect the truth about how gay men really live their lives today. 

EROTIC GAY ARTWORK

Seed. Shoot. Bush. Rosebud. Depending on your stance, this vocabulary could come straight out of a horticulture book or vintage gay porn flick. In Calvin’s series Strange New Growths, the shared language of homosexuality and flora is juxtaposed in a series of gay artworks.

Men get back to nature in more ways than one: pages from vintage gay pornographic magazines are corrupted; petals, stems, leaves and foliage encroach on the images to cover the modesty of the nude models to create a new set of germinating genitalia.

Butterflies (or ‘mariposas’, Spanish slang for faggot) make their presence felt and the life-long past-time of cruising is addressed in 'Contamination'. In other works, flowers, traditionally associated with feminine values, are held aloft by the models – but is it as an invitation or an apology?

GAY ARTWORK FOR SALE

If you’re keen to buy queer or gay art but feel intimidated by traditional gallery settings, buying online might be a better option for you as it breaks down the barriers sometimes felt between gallery and collector.

If you’re interested in any of original queer collage art from Calvin. H, contact him directly for pricing. Follow him on Instagram for updates on his gay artwork and collages. •