What are the archives of gay and lesbian leather histories, and how have contemporary artists mined these archives to create a queer politics of the present? This book sheds light on an area long ignored by traditional art history and LGBTQ studies, examining the legacies of the visual and material cultures of US leather communities. It discusses the work of contemporary artists such as Patrick Staff, Dean Sameshima, Monica Majoli, AK Burns and AL Steiner, and the artist collective Die Kränken, showing how archival histories and contemporary artistic projects might be applied in a broader analysis of LGBTQ culture and norms. Hanky codes, blurry photographs of Tom of Finland drawings, a pin sash weighted down with divergent histories - these become touchstones for writing leather histories.
Autorentext
Andy Campbell is Assistant Professor of Critical Studies at USC Roski School of Art and Design
Klappentext
'An elegantly disciplined page turner, Bound together interweaves the various cultures of leather sex and the archive with solid research, sly humor, and patient interpretation. Campbell's sections on a selected group of contemporary and modern artists are particularly insightful.'Catherine Lord, Professor Emerita, Department of Art, UC Irvine 'Sex is good to think with, but Andy Campbell's leathersex is even better. This exuberant, challenging, and generously illustrated study explores the role of BDSM in visual and material art, performance and archival practicewhile, in the process, becoming its own sexual archive.'Professor Barry Reay, author of New York Hustlers and Sex in the Archives Long ignored by art history and LGBTQ studies, the visual and material creations of leather communities in the United States are both abundant and community-focused. Bound together uncovers the archives that house these creations and explores how contemporary artists such as Patrick Staff, A. K. Burns, and A. L. Steiner have mined them to develop a queer politics of the present. Accessibly written and illustrated with almost a hundred images, the book is essential reading for anyone engaged with LGBTQ history and visual culture.
Inhalt
List of platesList of figuresAcknowledgements1 Introduction: bound together2 The work of the master's hand3 How to talk about Tom4 Yellow, or reading archives diagonally5 Numbers6 'Clubs that don't exist anymore'7 Attached to history8 'Deep fist at the Modern'9 Conclusion: surrogates, envelopesSelect bibliographyIndex