"Way to Go Champ”: Male Intimacy in Homosocial Spaces

I never watched sports growing up, except when I would pass by the living room while my dad was watching. As I came of age and started exploring my sexuality, I was surprised by the intimacy shared within all-male team sports. Things might be different now, but I used to associate all-male group sports with a particular “locker room” homophobia. Is there a correlation between the intimacy of straight/homosocial male environments and homophobia, a way to be close without sex entering the picture? And then there is, of course, my queer reading of this intimacy. This project reminds me that we must all be aware of the assumptions and gaps in meaning that we encounter when communicating with one another. In short, it reminds me of the “Ecstasy of Communication” that all human beings must navigate.[1]

[1] Baudrillard, J. (2012). The ecstasy of communication. Los Angeles: Semiotext(e).

This series of film stills and found imagery has been UV-printed onto 3mm thick aluminium/Dibond composite panels, measuring 50cm x 50cm each. They are intended as one work to be displayed on steel shelves in a grid pattern, inspired by the pioneering efforts of the Pictures Generation and queer theorists. Installation photographs will be available soon.