Torso by Pierre Arcand

Homoerotic imagery has had a significant presence in my upbringing. As a young queer person, I have sought gay porn as a way to understand same-sex intimacy. It was one of the few sources that did not lack or censor queer representation and experiences, as does mainstream media. However, as presented in Penny Harvey's "Let's Talk About Porn: The Perceived Effect of Online Mainstream Pornography on LGBTQ Youth," pornography perpetuates Heteronormative behaviours. The result is a representation of selectively privileged cisgendered homosexual as worthy of social acceptance which in turn reinforces gender, race and homophobic stereotypes."Across all groups, people repeatedly gave examples of the ways in which when LGBTQ are represented in MOVP they are often reproducing heterosexual norms. (Harvey)" Mainstream pornography also reproduces stereotypical constructions of masculinity and normalizes problematic constructions of gender.

This series "Torso" sources from gay pornographic imagery and through various art practices recontextualize its homonormative representation of selectively privileged cisgender participants, roles, and ideas. The sourced material used varies from vintage porn magazines such as Numbers, Blueboy and Honcho, to present publications accessible on social platforms. Digital and physical approaches that incorporate layering, cropping, repetition, and distortion of perspective aid these pieces to hold onto the voyeuristic qualities depicted while reframing the social "norms."