Tough Love

Nicolo Gentile

I wish my PrEP medication made me feel like I was taking part in something, but so far it has only softened my bowels.

This is not the fire in my belly I had anticipated.

My work is an investigation of Queer radicalism, presence, absence and ecstasy. From the gym to the showers, from the dance floor to the bedroom, I examine the physical conditions of relational identity and sexuality construction. Inspired by politically motivated 1990s abstraction responding to the AIDS epidemic, my work looks to reclaim the critical capacity of the queer minimalist gesture in a time of gay pragmatism, assimilation, and continued alienation.

I am inspired by the materials and conditions of queer transgression which inform my sculpture and installations. Composed of leather, latex, iron and steel, my sculptures slip between recognizable materials of kink, industry and sport to address the oscillating power dynamics of gender, masculinities and BDSM.