Peep some of our favorite photos from the book, below.
Photos by Julia Fox, Michael Krim, Sean Maung and Adam Jason Cohen; courtesy of PAPER WORK.
"Last Dance" book release is March 1st @ 110 Winston Street Los Angeles, CA. 90013. Head to PAPER WORK for more information.
This will also be the museum’s first bilingual show in their 15 year history, on view from October 20th 2017 through January 15th 2018.
How do sexuality and heritage inform each other in the world, and in your work?
There's a very complex relationship between sexuality, heritage, and culture, a relationship that also includes identity, society, religion, politics, and so many more factors. Our work centers around how gender identity and sexual orientation are justifications for violence and cultural exclusion, and how this violence and exclusion is supported by institutions such as society, religion, and heritage.
...The Catholic Church in Peru has tremendous power, which includes a great deal of influence over politicians, legislation, and even the arts. Church leaders, like Bishop Luis Bambaren, have been known to openly call gay and trans people “faggots” during television and radio interviews. This perpetuates the oppression of LGBTQ-identifying people.
Much of our work turns Catholic iconography around, and uses it to elevate members of the LGBTQ community that it usually marginalizes. For example, putting crowns on the heads of gay and trans people, their struggles and triumphs are highlighted, much in the same ways that the struggles and triumphs of Catholic saints are acknowledged and celebrated.
Do you have transgender friends?
Of course. And everyone should. As gay men, we are grouped with trans men and women in the LGBTQ community. Though gender identity and sexual orientation are very different things, We have found that the experience of questioning (and the eventual acceptance of) one’s gender identity or sexual orientation is a lot to have in common with another person. For us, that strengthens our relationship with our trans friends and informs the ways in which we contribute to our community. Despite the differences between our experiences, we find the similarities between gay struggles and trans struggles as strong motivators to be allies with the trans community.
Do you think there’s a correlation between religious awakening and the realization of one’s gender identity?
There certainly can be, both are about relationships with one's own self and with the greater universe, and are a part of developing one's identity. But this is correlation is not universal. Some people have both; some have one without the other; and some live their lives without any awakening whatsoever.
Do you feel there’s an in-between gender?
We both believe in a gender spectrum, and despite living in a highly gendered society, we try not to define or limit another person's gender identity or expression. We're very open to, and we respect, non-binary expressions of gender and gender variance.
I have a theory that the urge to fuck and the urge to kill are the same urge. Do you think sex and violence are connected? How do they connect in your work?
While we don't think that they are the same urge, there is a strong connection between these urges for some people. In our work, specifically the Padre Patria (Fatherland) series (in which we photographed the sites of hate crimes throughout Peru), the connection between these urges may be evident, possibly stemming from complex issues of guilt and self-hatred. Some of the women in the series were murdered by the “johns” who sought them out for sexual pleasure, but would later kill them after the sex act. Societies and religions that force the oppression of sexual identity, and sexual orientation and expression often create situations where this type of guilt and self-loathing manifests itself into violent behaviors or suicide. Because of this, we wondered whether the assailants hated themselves more than they hated their victims.
What is activism, in your opinion? How do we realistically change this kind of trend, or is that even possible?
Activism is when individuals advocate in support of oppressed and marginalized individuals. Those who are oppressed can be activists themselves, or the activists can be allies, or members of the dominant society who recognize the oppression and want to end it. We absolutely believe that activism can change the trend of hate crimes committed against LGBTQ people in Peru, and it is our intent for this project to support that. Canon is about raising awareness of these marginalized communities, which leads to acceptance, which leads to equality. This is not an easy process, or a fast once, but it starts with activism.
What does it cost to be a New York Body?
Nobody can function in the trance, as an unachievable target.
The game of social artifice is a burden- but watch it burn when you see a body naked.
The curtains close.
Flesh becomes law again. A return to the organic product. In a state invariably warmed by vulnerability, the naked body is alive again, and has unlearned the principals of artifice. The question here may be - does one really need to change their form for anything?
We move in the city, uptown, downtown, gallery openings, dinners, warehouse parties, basement shows, projecting different identities. Our thirst for success motivates these actions, permeated by the compulsive weight of New York City, but this questionable pursuit is tiring as we lose sight of who we are, who we were and who we want to become.
THIS INSTALLATION IS AN EXHIBITION OF THE BODY’S PERSON- ALITY.
Me and Richard got along right away. I came to NYC by myself from HK, and to go from knowing no one to knowing Jim, and Richard— is mental. When office first asked me to do films of artist interviews, I thought of when the artist is their truest self— I wanted to show them in their natural habitat. So, what you are watching is actually the "b-rolls"— when we are hanging out, doing things together. I like this intimacy in documentaries— it is as if you were hanging out with us, as well.
This film, I shot with Richard— I dug into his closet and archive, and found all the rare '90s Kern shirts from his personal collection!
Also, made him wear all of them, and shot a look book. He then showed me a whole big box of women's panties that he keeps for his photo shoots.
