Art by men for men
A photomedia exhibition for men and their admirers opens at the Australian Centre for Photography next week.
The Brotherhood, as described by curator Shannon Michael Cane, is a retaliation to mainstream gay culture.
Bored with the black and white nudes and perfect bodies so prevalent in gay male art, Cane set about creating an alternative.
“A lot of the gay scene art shows are really uninspiring, almost to the point of being boring,” Cane said.
“I wanted to put something out there that challenges the idea of who gay men are and what they do.”
All of the works on display have featured in Cane’s series of magazines, They Shoot Homos Don’t They, which showcase the art of creative gay men.
“I always thought of the magazine as a ‘look-book’ or a catalogue of a curated body of work,” he said.
“So it was a natural progression to one day show the works from the magazine in a gallery, and to give people the opportunity to make a fine art purchase.”
Twelve local and international gay male artists will be represented at the exhibition, and their works will be available for sale.
“I wanted to display the art that doesn’t get touched by the mainstream media,” Cane said, “works that depict gay men and gay culture in a different light.”
The Brotherhood opens at the Australian Centre for Photography on 2 August. For more information about Shannon Michael Cane’s art almanac They Shoot Homos Don’t They, go to www.theyshoothomosdontthey.com.
