The act of love is entirely based on a game of balance and contrasts: it can be sweet, violent, passionate, and cheerful, or it can
Recently published by Verlag Kettler, New Queer Photographyintroduces over 50 contemporary photographers whose work approaches sexuality beyond the limits imposed by taboos and shines a critical light on their own – and society’s – approach to transsexuality and gender roles.
In recent years, the representation of queer lifestyle in fashion magazines, films, and series has greatly increased. This extended exposure has led us to believe that society has finally embraced gender diversity; and this is partially true. However, if we look at the new young queer photography scene that has recently emerged, there is an array of photographers who provide evidence that being gay or lesbian can still lead to marginalization, isolation, stigmatization, and violence, especially in certain countries and communities.
Through a curated selection of images, interviews, and external contributions, New Queer Photography reminds us that looking at things from a marginal perspective is definitely more exciting and inspiring than focusing only on the center. After all, as Henri Cartier Bresson pointed out, in order to fully understand a photograph it is necessary to look at its margins: it is often there that the most interesting things happen. So maybe it’s the same with love.
We have asked a few questions to the editor Benjamin Wolbergs to learn more about the creation of this book.
How did you come up with the idea of the book?
Everything started about four years ago when I was working for the German publishing house Taschen on the layout of a book about physique photography with photos from the 50s, whose aesthetics and visual worlds were clearly intended to appeal to a gay audience. In the course of this work, I asked myself: what would a book with contemporary queer photography look like? What photographers, topics, and styles would be included in such a book today?
Around that time, I became aware of the works of Matt Lambert and Florian Hetz, and I started to look for other queer photographers. As my research intensified, a universe of incredibly talented LGBTQI+ photographers emerged in front of me, characterized by a wide variety of different styles and visual worlds beyond clichés and preconceptions. This is how the idea of New Queer Photography was born.
Why a book and not a magazine?
I’ve also asked myself “what would be a suitable format for presenting an issue like this?” and struggled with this question during the process of conceiving the project. I was asking myself if a “conventional” art book would be the right way or if it should be more like a cool zine?
I think personally zines are a great medium for single artist monographs, a special series or a special artistic period of an artist. But for this huge anthology consisting of over 50 artists with such a variety of themes, styles, and genres, I wanted to bring everything together in a more common way and give it a ‘frame’ that shows at first view that this is an ambitious art project.
Last but not least, I have been working for over ten years as an art director mainly in the field of book design for art book publishers, so it comes very natural for me to think in books… I simply adore books, their ability to respond individually and conceptually to each specific theme with so many different and suitable possibilities in terms of size, material, binding, papers, and many more things. I think a book is such a valuable medium to present art and if it is conceived with passion and love, and with great materials it also shows some kind of respect towards the artists presented in it.
Furthermore, for some of the featured artists it was the first time they had been published in a book and they were thrilled about it. So, one of the main ideas was to also offer these topics and these very talented photographers an appropriate platform for their brilliant work.
Can you describe your journey into the topic? How did it start and how did you take on the research?
The research process was very intense and took me over three years. I was looking through a lot of books and magazines but the most intense research was through the internet and social media channels. I was scrolling through a tremendous amount of art, photography, and LGBTQI+ related blogs and web pages.
How did you select the photographers and how did they react to your proposal?
The decision of who and which image will make it into the book was a very time-consuming and difficult process. It was important for me to present as many different photographers, important themes, and queer imaginary worlds as possible, trusting my intuitions more than overly dogmatic approaches. An important focus was also on the artistic aspect of the works.
In general, I was blown away by the enormous range of diverse themes, aesthetics, and visual worlds!
And most of the artists I had asked were very enthusiastic about the idea and the concept. They immediately understood the relevance of such a publication and worked together with me very intensively on the specific image selection for the book.
Was it easy to find a publisher?
Not at all, it was extremely difficult! Everywhere I got the same reply: the project was interesting, important, and well-organized, but it did not fit in with their program as it was too “explicit,” or simply did not enjoy “broad popular appeal.”
I have been working as an art director in the art book industry for over ten years so I know the problems of falling sales, especially with photo books. But at the same time, I have the impression that most publishing houses tend to publish the same kind of books and themes over and over again, rather than try something new and a bit unconventional.
Neither of these were good conditions for finding a publisher for my book. Fortunately however, after a year-long search for a publishing house, I found Verlag Kettler, the perfect publisher, who was brave and open enough to take the risk with me. Nevertheless, we had to make a crowdfunding campaign in order to gain some parts of the production costs.
Can you tell me more about the crowdfunding campaign? Based on your experience, is it a good option to fund an editorial project?
I think crowdfunding is a great tool especially to realise those projects that are not suitable for a mass market. But it can also be a bit traumatic.
For me it turned out to be a harsh experience because it was hard to accept that I was dependent on the support and goodwill of strangers. Being confronted every day with the possibility that the project could fall through was nerve-racking and sometimes depressing.
During the first three weeks of the campaign, it actually seemed as if the project was doomed to fail. But I was overjoyed to see that things picked up in the final week and the campaign stood a good chance of being successful.
Behind it there was a lot of work and time invested – even if it does not seem so –, not only before but also during the several weeks when the campaign was on. And the most important thing is to have a huge network behind you, so that you can spread the information about the campaign as widely as possible. I was very lucky with this special project, as the 50 photographers involved had a tremendous amount of fans and IG followers; the photographers were backing the campaign by spreading the word through their social media platforms. But even with this help, it was not easy to reach the goal and I had to fight for it a lot. If you had asked me during and a few days after the campaign if I would do it again, I definitely would have said “never ever!” But now I have changed my mind, and I think I could do it again. The crowdfunding was the only way to realise the project and that’s why I am very grateful for the huge support from friends and the photographers, and also from the strangers who made the campaign very successful.
From a historical point of view, is there a photographic project that, in your opinion, marked the shift in portraying LGBTQI+ communities?
I am pretty sure this did not mark the shift in portraying queer communities from a historical point of view but for me the work of Nan Goldin is a very special and important one. I think she had a great impact through her very intimate and respectful way in portraying these types of communities.
And, I still can see some inspirations from her used in some of the other photographers’ work from the book.
Much still has to be done regarding the inclusiveness of gender diversity. How can the book contribute to this process?
I think that the photographic projects I present in the book can really increase visibility to the LGBTQI+ community. For instance, some of the most obvious examples of people on the margins of society who are discriminated against, oppressed, and attacked because of their sexuality and gender identity are the subjects of New-Zealander photographer Robin Hammond’s portraits. His project “Where love is illegal” features LGBTQI+ people from countries where same-sex love is criminalized and can lead to discrimination, physical and mental violence, imprisonment, torture, and even capital punishment. But a closer look reveals that there is a certain ambiguity at play even here: the photographer’s remarkably sensitive approach allows the courage and strength of the portrayed subjects to triumph over their victimisation. Hammond’s images give them visibility and an opportunity to tell their own stories— despite the serious risks this entails.
Yet living on the “margins” – under different circumstances – may often create the very conditions that enable people to throw off the shackles of social norms and spread their wings in total freedom, exploring their gender identity in all its fluidity and playing with it in a natural and uninhibited way. As you can see for example in Spyros Rennt’s and Lukas Viar’s images of queer nightlife scenes where their pictures portray people oozing confidence and assurance, far from any sense of victimhood.
Through the book, I wanted to present alternative concepts of aesthetics and beauty, because I think the one-dimensional concept of gender, beauty, and aesthetics – which is still presented in most media – is so outdated, boring, and also quite toxic. We are in the year 2020, and it is long overdue to appreciate and celebrate alternative ideals of beauty, and I hope that my book will make a small contribution to this.
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New Queer Photography
Edited by Benjamin Wolbergs
Published by Verlag Kettler