Looking at a Naked Man was installed in a vacant building in Downtown Atlanta. The was up from February 29, 2020 - July 3, 2020.
Looking at a Naked Man includes ten videos that were made during multiple sessions with one of my male models. I directed him to perform a range of mundane activities that convey vulnerability with strength and beauty with awkwardness, sometimes overlaid with references to classical art. These videos flip tropes common to the male gaze, while presenting a perspective that moves beyond a simple reversal of the objectifying male gaze, conveying a mixture of desire, curiosity, and empathy. The presentation of these videos is an integral element of the installation. With strategies such as placing the videos within small boxes that require people to lean-in to view, or integrating mirrors into a display composition, viewing these videos engaged the viewer’s own body and created a hyper-awareness of the act of looking.