Fetish Focus showcases the work of creatives around the globe and highlight how fetish has inspired them. With the help of Black Boot, we're providing a platform for artists to highlight how fetish has inspired and influenced them – celebrating what it is that gets you thinking and what gets you off.
By Recon Member BlackBoot11
Throughout time, art has been a society's way of visually documenting their individual cultures and here with this project, I wish to do the same by keeping our heritage alive with these presentations. This particular genre of gay fetish art has been discriminated against and marginalized for far too long. The founding fathers of this movement include well-known names like Tom of Finland, Goh Mishima, Robert Mapplethorpe and others who all had to face tremendous struggles during their careers. In the past these artists all faced many barriers to gain an audience, and not until more recently have they been afforded the luxury and power of a solid platform to present their craft. Here my purpose is to help in keeping the gay fetish art tradition alive and to introduce you to a whole new generation of art for and about our community.
Today, I zoom across the Atlantic with you to share an insider's view to the gay and fetish world as seen through the eyes of Québec based artist Yvon Goulet.
After studying and working with the classic arts and printing in Europe for a few years, Yvon returned to Canada. It was on his way back home that he had a revelation. Freshly back from Europe, the very first thing he noticed when he left the subway coming from the airport, were these huge posters made of plastic on every post around the city of Montreal. He needed readily available and affordable material, he started to gather up as many as he could to start painting again. "All those great plastic boards had an army of advertising experts who had already decided what is the nicest colour to use and combine with the smartest slogan to print, so the work is already halfway done for me!" Thus, his unique style of painting on repurposed materials was born.
He feverously began painting his sexy fetish men of all types on these found plastic panels - some in more of a classic portrait style and many others in full fetish gear as we have selected for you here. One of the greatest things about Yvon's work is that he tries to include the many different facets of the gay and fetish community of Montréal that surrounds him, simply narrating the gay culture and life that he lives in and experiences each day.
He also tells us that he always been an activist since the beginning and tries to use his art as an observable weapon that opens a dialogue against the daily bigotry and ignorance that our community experiences. Yvon says, "My art perpetuates the concept that we have to be proud of whom we are and to continue to be visible in the face of the ultra-conservative, right wing, and populist movements that are growing everywhere now. There is no time for complacency. "
It is this very determination that he is speaking of here that can be plainly seen in the images of the guys that he has painted from his local gay neighbourhood in Montréal. His guys here are colourful examples that all ooze the strength and confidence that helps to keep our community growing and unified.
What fetish or fantasy gets you horned up you the most – the dominant booted leather daddy, a puppy eager to serve, a group of slick bodies in rubber, or skinheads with aviators and camo gear?
While he was a bit reluctant to go into any of the back stories as to how he got these super sexy models to pose for his art, he did assure me that they were an accurate depiction of thriving underground fetish community of Montréal. Yvon certainly does his best to give us an all you can eat buffet to choose from. After seeing these paintings, lets quickly put this town on our list of places to visit soon!
If you're interested in or want to recommend a fetish and kink-based artist to be featured on Recon, please send your ideas along with a link to: social@recon.com with the subject: Fetish Focus.
