PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOODYN GREEN
Girls who like boys who like girls to be boys
The Berlin-based, Danish artist Goodyn Green (who’s show is now on at The Strange Loop Gallery and Bureau of General Services – Queer Division) chats to us about her attraction to gay porn, women wearing men’s underwear and her sexy subjects. We are obsessed with her images, they really fuck with your ideas of attraction, just try and not get a little turned on. We dare you.
How would you identify in regard to sexual orientation and gender identity / what’s your preferred gender pronoun? I’m lesbian and a woman (she).
What magazine(s) did you draw the inspiration from? A really nice magazine called ‘Kink‘ from Barcelona and typical gay porn magazines.
What do you think is the relationship to masculinity in gay versus lesbian communities? I guess the gay communities in some ways tend to celebrate a more old fashioned and traditional raw masculinity, which can be hard to break out of. In lesbian communities there are also traditional masculinities and femininities being expressed, especially through the butch/femme scene. However, over the last couple of years more and more former identified butch women seem to take the step to transitioning. In my opinion, the traditional masculinity in general takes up way too much space in society. I’d rather be talking about the hundreds of ways to express femininity and womanhood, and then how to soften the macho.
Who are some important influences on your work, artistically and intellectually? The queers in my community influence me a lot, both artistically and intellectually. And my inspiration I often get from different situations I experience in everyday life. Like things that provoke me, or where I feel there is a lack of knowledge or awareness.
How do you meet your models? Most of my models are friends, or friends of friends. Or occasional hook-ups!
Do you have sex with your models? Of course!.. That’s part of the deal…
Where do you take most of your photos? In Berlin. For ‘The Catalog‘ I got to shoot in Paris, London, Barcelona and New York too. And for my next print project, ‘The Logbook’ I’m shooting the models in their homes, and so far that has been in Berlin, only one in New York, but hopefully I get to travel a bit for this project too.
Have you considered shooting men in poses from lesbian magazines? Nope. Not yet.
