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OF VISUAL ARTIST JOÃO DELFIM
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As a step forward in my journey of self-discovery through the creation of semi-autobiographical artwork, comes I Would Recognize Those Abs Anywhere. After acknowledging the moment of sexual awakening in my previous publication, I’m looking to honour the quest for images of desire that followed it, in my latest zine.
Inspired by the idea of « thirst-traps » in popular audiovisual culture, I collected and reframed stills from American Horror Story, Riverdale and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in order to create a small book that would mirror a reflection of unapologetic desire for a series of male bodies, while taking the latter out of their original context to create eerie shapes and lighting effects transporting them into a dreamy, imaginary inside-world.
The title quote, borrowed directly from an episode of cult-classic-to-be Riverdale, teases the campiness of the zine’s concept, bringing it closer to the heart of Queer Pop Culture in yet another dimension.
Inspired by the idea of « thirst-traps » in popular audiovisual culture, I collected and reframed stills from American Horror Story, Riverdale and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in order to create a small book that would mirror a reflection of unapologetic desire for a series of male bodies, while taking the latter out of their original context to create eerie shapes and lighting effects transporting them into a dreamy, imaginary inside-world.
The title quote, borrowed directly from an episode of cult-classic-to-be Riverdale, teases the campiness of the zine’s concept, bringing it closer to the heart of Queer Pop Culture in yet another dimension.
As I reminisce on the early manifestations of desire I’ve experienced, I wonder about the meaning of Erotica and how it’s promoted a shift in my artwork in the past two years. It’s safe to say that I’ve learned a lot about homoeroticism from a mixture of reading Edmund White and watching American Teen television. Despite White’s writing not being usually found under the Gay Erotica category, no other author’s description and sublimation of the male desire for another male body have resonated with me as much as his. Starting with A Boy’s Own Story, a coming-of-(gay)ge masterpiece, I went on to read almost half of White’s bibliography, thus discovering endless stories of love, lust and desire intertwined.
As for the Teen Drama scope, audiovisual productions such as American Horror Story, Riverdale and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, have added a visual layer to the sublimation of the male body I could read in White’s words. Created and run by gay men — namely Ryan Murphy or his ex-pupil Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa — these shows have succeeded in putting forward diverse representations of gay erotic desire through the lens of Queer directors, while being broadcast to a wide, non-niche audience.
As for the Teen Drama scope, audiovisual productions such as American Horror Story, Riverdale and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, have added a visual layer to the sublimation of the male body I could read in White’s words. Created and run by gay men — namely Ryan Murphy or his ex-pupil Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa — these shows have succeeded in putting forward diverse representations of gay erotic desire through the lens of Queer directors, while being broadcast to a wide, non-niche audience.
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ALL ARTWORKS ARE ORIGINAL CREATIONS.
© 2024 JOÃO DELFIM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL ARTWORKS ARE ORIGINAL CREATIONS.
© 2024 JOÃO DELFIM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.