San Sebastian 2019 oil on canvas 24x34 in.

In this painting I am participating in the very Western queer retelling of the Saint Sebastian story where the hot young man nears death by arrows for the sake of visual pleasure. It is a very melodramatic and campy activity that I am poking fun at in this painting, where I am not really an idealized figure nor am I suffering a public execution, but rather I am pinched inexplicably by clothespins. In this parody I am translating the lofty ideals of lascivious painters participating in the tradition of thirsting after the bodies of their young squires, and depositing these ideals into the reality of being a young queer artist trying to understand their place in a history of power imbalances and voyeurism.

Biography

I am a gay 21 year old art student living in Southern California. Every day my parents beg me to become a dentist or a lawyer but I know they secretly happy for me. My dream is to visit Vietnam for the first time and learn from its artists.