March 2012

Looking for Now

As a closeted young boy, Daniel Venne secretly drew his own erotic pictures. Feelings of shame then drove him to unceremoniously destroy the same images with fire. Nothing could be left of the pleasure he could not reconcile, no trace that he had used some “God-given gift” to give life to his desire for men.

This is an exhibit of drawings inspired by online gay hookup sites. These works reflect the poses and presentations of men who are “Looking For Now”—urgently and guilefully seeking sexual contact with other men. From the early days of America Online “M4M” chat rooms to the no-strings smartphone apps Scruff and Grindr, technology has changed the way that men present images of themselves as available sex players. Fantasy is offered alongside prosaic realities, and isolated images collectively give voice to a community, a neighborhood of vulnerable men trying to find a way to connect with other men. The drawings, executed in watercolor on tea-stained paper, present men through Venne’s eyes and hand. They are part erotica, part anthropological study, and part self-portrait.

Please visit www.danielvenne.com for more information about her work.