Tension

Why are we bound to things we cannot explain? How are we tied to others around us in inexplicable ways, and to things beyond our control that feed into our deepest desires?
 
Tension was shot on 35mm film and made through darkroom color development.
This series investigates the traditional Japanese art of Shibari in a stylized form where hyper-masculinity is contrasted with femininity. The presence of florals is connected to gay culture where each flower is synonymous with either gay literature, queer codes, or reference to men like Oscar Wilde and his influence or seen in works such as ‘Bara Kei’ (Killed by Roses) by Yukio Mishima. This blend of cultures, identities, and feelings serves as a retrospective look at how I view my own masculinity as a gay man.