DIARY

My Gay Eye - Mein schwules Auge #20 Uncensored.

BERLIN — I have received my copy of the 20th anthology by Rinaldo Hopf today. My Gay Eye has been published annually since 2003. Rinaldo told me during the Tom of Finland festival he wanted to include me in this jubileum edition, which was all about this new censorship and restrictions we encounter on social media platforms in recent years.

You can find my works (from Bring the Boys back Home series) on pages 372 and further, amongst other artists as Johnny Abbate, Kostis Fokas, Brian Kenny, Slava Mogutin, Aaron Moth, Stuart Sandford, Peter Schmid, Stanley Stellar, Wolfgang Tillmans, Tom of Finland, Jürgen Wittdorf and many more...

instinct #14 - Désir | Desire: My ETHOS PATHOS Installation.

BERLIN — Happy to share some images from my installation at the Désir groupshow. Works included are :
(left) "Hunting for Memories", Selfportrait with Cédric. Antwerp 2008/2021. Laserprint, pigment and varnish on Elwood artpanel. / (center) "Ethos - Pathos", a Self-reflection. Antwerp 2022. Inkjet, laserprint, pigment and varnish on Hahnemuhle Bamboo Fine Art paper. / (top) "Self-Castration", a mutilated selfportrait. Antwerp 2023. Torn inkjet, laserprint, pigment and varnish on Hahnemuhle Bamboo Fine Art paper.

Works and statement on this page

instinct #14 - Désir | Desire: An overview of the curation.

BERLIN — After months of preparations I am super proud to share a selection of the curation of the Désir collective exhibition.

Photos by myself and Rafael Medina for instinct. 

instinct #14 - Désir | Desire: Vernissage.

BERLIN — Grand opening of the instinct.berlin Désir | Desire collective exhibtion at Village Berlin.
What an overwhelming event with over 400 visitors. Thank you all so much for coming!

images by Rafael Medina.

instinct #14 - Désir | Desire: Building-up the exhibition.

BERLIN — Day 2 of setting up the collective exhibition. Underneath some images from the past few days. It has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears but we are almost ready for the grand opening of tomorrow.

Vernissage tomorrow Thursday 07 September at 18:00 in the presence of yous truly, Slava Mogutin, Gio Black Peter, Matt Lambert, Florian Hetz, Jack Davey, Nicky Miller, Sacha Cambier de Montravel, Hanna Schaich and Richard Villani & Durk Dehner of the Tom of Finland Foundation! Performance by Dark Frau.

instinct #14 - Désir | Desire: Arrived in Berlin.

I have arrived in Berlin today for the collective exhibition at instinct.berlin I helped curating. Stay tuned for more information and previews of the build-up.

instinct #14 - Désir | Desire: Curated by Yves de Brabander and Eric LeRouge.

BERLIN — Collective exhibition running from 7 to 16 September 2023 at instinct.berlin

Featuring works by Slava Mogutin, Florian Hetz, Gio Black Peter, Bruce LaBruce, Matt Lambert, Jack Davey, Sacha Cambier de Montravel, Lukasz Leja, Stuart Sandford, Hanna Schaich, Wayne Lucas and many many others.

Vernissage Thursday 07 September at 18:00

Talk with Durk Dehner and Richard Villani (Tom of Finland Foundation) - Fri 08 September

Screening of Matt Lambert, Mathieu et Léolo, Hanna Schaich and Bruce LaBruce - Sat 09 September

Behind the scenes:: Preparing my works for the show Désir.

For the désir show I helped curating, I will be showing an installation of self-reflections featuring works from Ethos - Pathos (2022), Self-Castration (2023) and Hunting For Memories (2008/2021).

Multiple layer inkjet and laserprints, carbon, pigment and varnish on Hahnemuhle Bamboo Fine Art Paper. 33 x 48 cm. Editions of 5.

Behind the scenes:: Preparing my works for the show Désir.

Some little retouches needed on my Hunting For Memories, Autoportrait with Cedric (2008/2021).

Laserprint, carbon, pigment and varnish on Elmwood artpanel.

Crap Zine at Tom of Finland Arts & Culture Festival London.

LONDON - Unfortunately I am in Italy during the event, but Anthony Campbell of Crap Zine made sure my work was presented at the event at the Standard anyway :)

Conversations with Florian Hetz: Florian is in Antwerp for his first solo show, opening tonight at Everyday Gallery.

Glad we had a nice meet at my studio and some interesting conversations.

GAY Propaganda: Curated by Slava Mogutin, introduced by Bruce LaBruce and Matt Lambert.

BERLIN — Screening at Freiluft Kino Kreuzberg, (Berlin, DE) curated by Slava Mogutin, introduced by Bruce LaBruce and Matt Lambert.

Featuring short films by Kris Canavan, Christeene, Harry Clayton-Wright, Yves De Brabander, David Hoyle, Dominic Johnson, Brian Kenny, Bruce LaBruce, Mathieu & Leolo, Matt Lambert, Murphy Maxwell, Daniel McKernan, Slava Mogutin, No Bra, Patriarchy, Peaches, PJ Raval, A.L. Steiner, Vaginal Davis, Lex Vaughn and David Wilson.

The title refers to the infamous Gay Propaganda-law adopted in Russia in 2013, which unleashed a wave of homophobic attacks and legislations in many parts of the former Soviet Union and across Eastern Europe.

CRAP Zine: No 2 - Grey Marl.

LONDON — A selection of new works from my Come Clean series has been published in the 2nd edition of CRAP Zine BY PARC LONDON, edited by Paul and Anthony Rawson-Campbell.

CRAP Zine No2 was launched at Paris Ass Book Fair (PABF) at Palais de Tokyo (Paris, FR) 09 - 11 June 2023.

Behind the scenes: Shooting Alberto for Come Clean series.

Shooting Alberto again today for the second time this week, just because we can ;-)

At work at Studio: Ancestral inferno.

Finishing a new work for my Ancestral Inferno installation. Slow process but comes toegether nicely.

Multi-layered works on artpanel, inkjet, laserprint, pigment and varnish on wood.

PNPPL Zine: Shadows of Doubt - This is my Territory.

A selection of new works from my Shadows of Doubt series has been published in the newest edition of PNPPL Zine.

The sub-title This is my Territory came spontaneous while shooting Luca from Tblisi in my studio while he was visiting Antwerp. It felt like a sign when just days later the streetprotests in his country started.

Order your copy here

"Some like it Rough", Antwerp 2005: Found a new home.

BERLIN — Very happy to share the news with you that my work Ome like it Rough (Antwerp, 2005) has found a new home in the archives of INSTINCT Berlin. The news was officially announced this morning by Instinct chairman Eric le Rouge.

Pornceptual: Instinct by Yves de Brabander.

A selection of works from my recent installation at Instinct Berlin's An AIDS Walkthrough exhibition was featured on Pornceptual. 

The works featured are a selection of visuals and campaign images for SENSOA, the Flemish expertise centre for Sexual Health and HIV Prevention, done between 2004/2009.

View the post here

Tom of Finland Foundation: Art & Culture Festival 2023

Pleased to share some images of my installation at the Tom of Finland Art and Culture Festival 2023 - Berlin edition.

"My goal with the Art & Culture Festival is to pave the way for the next generation of Queer and erotic artists while expanding to more cities and communities around the world," says Festival lead and ToFF Creative Director Richard Villani in Kaltblut Magazine. "This year Berlin will host the festival at The Knast for its first German iteration. Housed in a historic women’s prison, this is the first time prideART Berlin will participate in the Festival. An additional programm will occur in Berlin around the Festival."

Sidenote: other artists participating are Johnny Abbate, Gerardo Vizmanos, Mike D'Hondt, Carlos Enfedaque, Rinaldo Hopf, Spyros Rennt, Rick Castro, Andreas Fux, and many others... 

Leaving to Berlin: Tom of Finland Foundation: Art & Culture Festival 2023

Leaving to Berlin for my participation in the very first Berlin-edition of Tom of Finland's Art and Culture Festival.

Travelling light was no option... Please make sure to pass by and say hi when you're in Berlin!

Open Studios: Finishing a work while doors are open

Atelier in Beeld / Open Studio Days 2023.
I am currently finishing a few works while you enter my studio. Be welcome!

Beirut, Lebanon: Shooting graduation collection for Andrew Mahfouz.

Andrew - fashion design student at the Lebanese American University in Beirut - asked me a few months ago to shoot his graduation collection campaign as a sponsoring of his graduation.

Today I am shooting for the first time in Beirut.
Models Vasco Vaz Quiero  and Nikola Avramovic — MUA Joanna Kamar Hayek

Tom of Finland Foundation: Art & Culture Festival 2023

Happy to announce my participation in the very first Berlin-edition of Tom of Finland's Art and Culture Festival.

12-14 May 2023 at The Knast. Söhtstraße 7, 12203 Berlin.

Event page on Tom of Finland website

INSTINCT #12: "An AIDS Walkthrough", Group show at INSTINCT BERLIN

Group show curated by Eric Lerouge and Samuel Perea Diaz. Instinct - Kurfürstenstraße 31/32, Berlin.

Here are some images from the show and my installation. Selection of commissioned works for SENSOA 2004/2009. (Sensoa is the Flemish expertise centre for Sexual Health and HIV Prevention)

Instinct website

INSTINCT #12: "An AIDS Walkthrough", Vernissage

Vernissage of "An AIDS walkthrough at Instinct Berlin.

INSTINCT #12: "An AIDS Walkthrough", Building my installation

Building my installation at Instinct Berlin today for the opening of tomorrow!

INSTINCT #12: "An AIDS Walkthrough", Save the date!

Group show curated by Eric Lerouge and Samuel Perea Diaz. Instinct - Kurfürstenstraße 31/32, Berlin.
Opening April 6th at 18h — running until April 16th.
Featuring: Judy Dunaway, Yves De Brabander, Dodi Espinosa, Kurt Von Bley, Enad Marouf, Carlos Enfedaque, Constantin Hartenstein, Regis Samba-Kounzi, Manuel Solano and others.

Including my works for SENSOA (The Flemish expertise centre for sexual health and HIV prevention) 2004-2009.

Instinct website

"Hoc est corpus meum": new work in color

"This is my body"

Multi-layered inkjet, laserprint, pigment and varnish on wood artpanel. 40x80x3cm.

"Boys! Boys! Boys! Exhibition": Working Dog Gallery, Sydney Australia

Happy to share the news that my work has been included in the latest Boys! Boys! Boys! exhibition curated by Ghislain Pascal, during World Pride in Sydney Australia. 

An exhibition of works by 62 queer and gay photographers at Working Dog Gallery in Sydney, opening Thursday 23 February thru 11 March.

Feat. works by Johnny Abbate, Yves De Brabander, Alejo Dillor, Michael Epps, Stéphane Gizard, Greg Gorman, Ashish Gupta, Florian Hetz, Dmitry Komissarenko, Richard Kranzin, Leo Maki, Michael Sondergaard, Tyler Udall, Ruben van Schalm, Luis Venegas, Gerardo Vizmanos, Shen Wei, ...

"Weekly roundup": new laserprint on artpanel works

"The Age of Self-castration": Self-censored autoportrait

A universal shame revived by the tech giants, the renaissance of iconoclasm, a reformation preached by social media - erasing our autonomy; Following and idolization over self-expression, creation and liberty. 

Selfcensored Autoportrait Variation, Antwerp 2023. Inkjet, pigment and laserprint on paper.

Remote Collaboration with Yasha

Yasha Zhylin is a model, photographer and content manager from Kyiv, Ukraine. The photographs were mailed to me and I did my thing with them.