Tension
Why are we bound to things we cannot explain? How are we tied to those around us in inexplicable ways and how can we lean to embrace our deepest desires?
Tension was shot by Alexander on 35mm film in 2024 and developed using traditional darkroom colour processes. This series explores the traditional Japanese art of Shibari in a stylized form, where hyper-masculinity is contrasted with femininity. The presence of florals refers to gay culture, with each flower symbolising an element of queer literature, and coded language. Alexander drew reference from Robert Mapplethorpe, Oscar Wilde, and works like Bara Kei (Killed by Roses) by Yukio Mishima. This blend of cultures, identities, and emotions offers a retrospective lens through which I examine my own masculinity as a gay man.