GAYLETTER

‘Legendary: Inside the Ballroom Scene‘ is Gerard H. Gaskin‘s first book published by Duke University Press. The book is a record of his 20 years going to the balls, it contains black and white and color photographs of vibrant moments inside this scene. Gerard came to New York from Trinidad and Tobago when he was 8-years-old. We chatted to him about his life, the book and his memories of the balls.

You came directly to New York with family? 
Yes, I came straight to New York. My mom came here, basically worked as an au pair for the first four years for a family in Atlanta, Georgia, and then after that she migrated to New York because her brother and her sister lived in New York. And then four years later we came to New York. Me and my brother and my older sister, I have an older sister actually. My mother passed away and my brother passed away last year, in December.

Oh, really? Around the same time?
 Exactly. Literally one died on Sunday and the other one died on Tuesday. My mom had ovarian cancer and my brother in some ways kind of flipped out, got drunk, and fell down some stairs on his head. It’s even way more bizarre, because literally I found out I won this prize on Thursday, this happened on Sunday and Tuesday.

What’s the name of the prize? It’s called a First Book Prize. And then I do another project back home in Trinidad, there’s two projects that I’m working on. …

If you’ve never heard of Richard Hawkins before, now is the time to start Googling his name. Since the early 1990s, Hawkins has been producing some of the most evocative, incomparable artwork we’ve ever seen, all teeming with an undercurrent of homoerotic appreciation and longing. Using collage and sculpture as his primary medium (although branching out into just about everything else as well), Hawkins’ work has been featured in galleries across the world, and for good reason: with pieces that are as elaborate and carefully designed as they are rife with gay imagery and subtext, Hawkins’ work speaks to people all across the Kinsey scale, transcending what often ends up being a niche audience.

Most recently, the artist Hawkins co-curated ‘Tom of Finland & Bob Mizer,’ a retrospective on the two iconic gay artists now on view at MOCA in Los Angeles until January 26th. Also, currently on view until January 26th, 2014 at Le Consortium, Dijon is the his latest exhibition ‘Glimmer.’ We got to interview the LA-based artist on what his curation means to him, what his process is like, and why he’s newly infatuated with Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “Holy Mountain.” Hint: it has a little something to do with naked bearded hippie boys…

Where do you live? Los Angeles, old gay Silverlake

Where would be your dream location to exhibit your work? The Musee Moreau in Paris, definitely. Le Consortium, Dijon though was also a dream come true. The one that got away was Palazzo Fortuny in Venice. …

Jim French‘s show of vintage polaroids is now on view at ClampArt in Chelsea. Shot in the late sixties the exhibition titled ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor‘ and the new book by the same name opened my eyes to a true pioneer in the world of recording the male physique. Better recognized by his pseudonym Rip Colt and the legendary Colt Studio he founded, French “…known for his perfectionism created classically-inspired and wonderfully composed photographs that largely established a standard and approach for the visual ideal of male sexual beauty.” Originally used as source material for his homoerotic drawings, the polaroids stand as a testament to the influence French had on such luminaries as Mapplethorpe, Bruce Weber and Herb Ritts that followed.

We were fortunate enough to reach out to the 81 year old artist in his abode in Palm Springs and ask a couple of questions. Here’s what he had to say:

How did you find all these gorgeous men? Go to a gym: Throw $100.00 bills in the air.

When did you take your first photograph, can you describe it? Sometime around 1960. He was an airline pilot on vacation. The location was a barn in Sausalito. He loved his body, but who wouldn’t?

What photographers influenced your work? Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Patrick Demarchelier.

How do you describe the original Colt aesthetic? The idea behind my Colt Studio was to present drop dead handsome men in ways that were creative, original and erotic. …

For this year’s Day With(out) Art, the annual collaborative arts project held on World AIDS Day by New York-based contemporary arts organization Visual AIDS, the group enlisted the queer artist collective Fierce Pussy to develop its centerpiece exhibition. Titled ‘For the Record‘ curated by Risa Puleo, the text-based result examines the ‘what ifs’ of those lost to the AIDS pandemic, utilizing variations of the phrase “if he/she/they were alive today…” to incredibly powerful effect.

Printed on broadsides, the piece mourns the widespread loss of loved ones to AIDS while simultaneously opening a dialogue on the erasure of personal and collective memories from the pages of history. The artists of fierce pussy tapped into the cadences of contemporary culture to place the work in a very present, immediate frame of mind. “If she were alive today you’d be texting her,” one of the sentences reads. “If he were alive today you would have met him by now,” reads another. The pathos behind the seemingly simple set-up is nothing less than astonishing.

In conjunction with For the Record, Visual AIDS is also throwing a series of public events on World AIDS Day on December 1st. Billed under the subtitles ‘Talk, Walk, and Sing’, the events range from artist talks and public forums to a house and disco set at The Rusty Knot in the West Village. Check out the full schedule of events at the Visual AIDS website, and be sure to see For the Record in person at NYC’s Printed Matter, on view from November 23 – December 13. …

Let’s face it: in our crass 21st century world of hook-up apps, dating sites, and Craigslist ads, the art of pursuing a lover can sometimes feel, to put it lightly, pretty revolting. It appears that artist Aaron Krach picked up on that for his new book of postcards, ‘Things to Tell Your Lover,’ a collection of 21 unique photographs of found text — bits of signs, graffiti, and advertisements — which he has refashioned into bold declarations of love and lust.

The book is a perfect departure from our modern version of electronic courtship, turning distinctly metropolitan, mundane text and advertisements into bawdy valentines (a gold chain necklace beckons “Bite Me”; a garage expresses sincere erotic gratitude via a placard: “Thank you for coming”). The best part? Each postcard can be peeled from the book and given away to your own lover (or potential lover, anyway). And, honestly, what’s more charming than a handwritten note from a secret admirer?

The idea for the book comes from Krach’s online project of the same name, in which he photographs found text around New York and other cities he’s visited that inspires and invigorates him as an artist. On the website for the work, Krach has attracted hundreds of submissions from around the world, stretching from California to Qatar.

Check out the project’s website here to submit your own stimulating text, and be sure to stop by for the launch of the book at Printed Matter on November 22, 6:00PM-8:00PM. …

I went on a fantastic spontaneous roadtrip to Washington D.C. with my friend, GAYLETTER contributor and groundbreaking artist Renee Cox. She had a couple of appointments with important curators there and I went along for the ride. I packed a black Juicy Couture corduroy blazer (cuz I know those queens love a lapel) a couple of french tailored pressed shirts, a nice bottle of red for the car, some tomme de savoie (that’s cheese), pistachio nuts and a cock ring. The drive down went by in a flash, we had so much catching up to do. We arrived at our host Shawanda‘s cute house dropped our bags, had a cocktail and pressed on to the spot that was hosting Renee’s cocktail party the next night for a boozy dinner, then straight to bed.

We woke in bright sunshine, Renee made a breakfast of fresh squeezed orange juice and steel cut oatmeal with maple syrup. While she went on to her meeting I investigated the National Portrait Gallery for the very first time. WOW, spent hours in that place. The exhibition of all the president’s portraits from Washington on was intense. Props to Bill Clinton for choosing Chuck Close to do his portrait. Apparently each sitting president chooses the painter they want to do their portrait-who knew? While deep in thought at the photo contest installation adjacent to the presidents, Renee texted me she was done. We met around the corner at OYA, a fabulous Japanese restaurant where we had sashimi, beers and a photo shoot in their black and white over-designed lounge. …

Ooooo, daddy! The Bible has been rewritten. Tonight, November 7 at Printed Matter, photographer Blake Little will be launching and signing his newest book, ‘Manifest.’ This comprehensive treatise on gay masculinity features a series of images of big, muscly, burly, bearded men.

Hold up, let me fan myself off for a minute.

The photographs were taken both in and out of Little’s Los Angeles studio, as well as in England, Canada, and across the United States. Some images are solo portraits, and others capture moments between couples. Some are nude and some are clothed. All are remarkable photographs.

Little hopes his work provides a “specific vision of men, in their environments, in their relationships, in their skin.” Manifest is 124 pages with 104 photographs, and a special forward by straight bear daddy Nick Offerman.

So whether you’re a daddy, daddy-chaser, bear, bear-chaser, twink, otter, cub, queer, queen, lady, ladyboy, or whatever, Manifest is sure to inspire, captivate and satiate.

Here’s a preview of some of the men featured in the book…

Book launch and signing, Thursday, November 7, 6:00-9:00PM, Printed Matter, 195 10th Ave. NY, NY. …