Post 3: Out For The Camera

The museum I went to that includes self-portrait work is called the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art. The museum consisted of two exhibits when I went. The first exhibition I explored contained mostly all self-portraits. The exhibit is called “Out For The Camera” by Leonard Fink. Leonard Fink (1930-1992) is a gay American photographer who made most of his work throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. It was interesting that Fink’s photos are so explicit because during his lifetime he was in the closet with family members. This was probably the main reason why Fink never showcased his photography in his own public gallery during his time. This fact adds a point to the exhibit that not only Fink, but many gay people need to have multiple identities that are so necessary to the oppressive regime of the closet.

Themes that are prevalent in this exhibit are identity, exposing yourself unapologetically, sex, exhibitionism, and gay culture. Many of Fink’s photos include himself and other subjects in explicit poses and engaging in what was then forbidden and scandalous sexual acts. In many of his photographs, he and/or his subjects are looking straight at the camera lens, which differs from most pornography, because the subjects usually look away as if the audience is unseen. I think society has tried to make those who aren’t heterosexual feel like they aren’t normal and like they are doing wrong by exposing themselves. Heterosexual people have been posing naked forever and it is deemed art. I think Fink is critiquing that societal idea and pushing limits. I believe he is also just exploring the identities of the people in his community.

Keller Bar, 1976

Fink portrays being unapologetically yourself in The Kiss (n.d.) and Self-Portrait with Tommy (n.d). By looking straight at the camera Fink is making the viewer know that he is unapologetic and not ashamed of showing off who he is. Fink was also very fascinated with the gay bar culture of the West Village and the annual Pride marches. As I read the description of the Keller Bar (1976) photograph, Fink decided to photograph men in light-filled bars where they talked and enjoyed themselves, unlike the “dark quasi-private spaces where men congregate in the night” that films tend to portray during that time. I was also interested in Fink’s annual Pride march photographs. One of the images is entitled Gay Pride March (Boy Scouts), 1973, which is of boy scouts at the Pride march. 

Leonard Fink, Self-Portrait in the Mirror with Camera to the Eye, 1979. 

The above photograph is entitled Self-Portrait in the Mirror with Camera to the Eye, which was taken in 1979. This photograph represents the freedom Fink found in the mirror. He also found freedom in his camera because it was like a mirror for him. He believed the mirror and camera made way for him to explore his own image and ones he could create. He could be any of the characters that he portrayed in other photographs, such as a scout leader, naked biker, and naked and vulnerable. I believe Fink may have found solace and the ability to be himself, regardless of what character it was, through his photos, because he was not allowed to around his family. 

Del LaGrace Volcano, Self-Portrait Collaboration with Gerard Rancinan, Paris, 2004

This photograph is not by Leonard Fink but it is included in the "Out For The Camera" exhibition because it encapsulates the vision of Fink's self-portraiture. Del LaGrace Volcano is another photographer and was born in California, but is based in Sweden. Del LaGrace was born with male and female characteristics but was raised as a girl. He/she now lives as a man and woman. This plays a big part in his/her's photography. Del LaGrace explores the subjects of gender variance, sexual connectedness, and body mutations. In the photograph above, Del LaGrace explores what gender is and how it is displayed in society. He/she is dressed in a skirt with thigh high socks, platform boots, and makeup while also maintaining a masculine pose. He/she has a stern face and stance. Del LaGrace is pointing out that masculinity and feminity can be displayed at the same time and still be empowering and beautiful. Del LaGrace is defying the norm. Your image can be whatever you want it to be and you do not need to follow society's rules when taking a photograph of yourself. By making him/herself the subject Del LaGrace is able to take control of how the photo looks and the point of it. 

I believe the curator for the "Out For The Camera" exhibit was trying to tell the museum audience that gay artists are taking a hold of their own identity and sexuality. They are out for the camera and proud of it. There is nothing weird or odd about it. They are showing that gay artists utilize the self-portrait to get that point across because what better and more personal way is there to express yourself and your truth than through photos of yourself. 

Works Cited

“DEL LAGRACE VOLCANO.” DEL LAGRACE VOLCANO, www.dellagracevolcano.com/.

Hyperallergic. “Your Concise New York Art Guide for Spring 2018.” Hyperallergic, Hyperallergic, 13 Mar. 2018, hyperallergic.com/427450/concise-guide-new-york-art-spring-2018/.

“OUT FOR THE CAMERA: The Self-Portraits of Leonard Fink.” Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, 17 Feb. 2018, www.leslielohman.org/project/leonard-fink-out-for-the-camera/.