Jillian Soto and Joseph Hutto performing “3X5” (2014) (all images courtesy Extinct Entities unless otherwise noted)
CHICAGO — It was 1950, and the men were hot, greased up, and posing as if they were the original “David.” Then they were photographed and choreographed by Chuck Renslow, who founded Kris Studios for male physique photography, at a time when gay male sexuality operated underground. Nearly 65 years later, the images and actions of that world still inspire. In Jillian Soto and Joseph Hutto’s performance “3X5,” which debuted at theExtinct Entities‘ Pictures and Palaces showcase on January 17, the two artists — Soto, who identifies as a transperson, and Hutto, a gender fluid male dancer — set out to consider these photographs as a way to connect with contemporary queer identities.
For the performance, Soto and Hutto worked together to create their own individual series of movements. They performed physical acts that could be read as sexual, if the viewer wanted to see them that way; otherwise they were just two men sliding on tube socks, flexing on top of a toppled-over red leather chair (which was eventually propped back up), dancing alone under red lights, and standing back-to-back under a bright spotlight. Gentle “puff-puff” breathing noises, coupled with the scampering of feet from one place on the wooden floor to another, were the only audible human sounds. This is a timeless dance.
Read the full story on Hyperallergic: http://hyperallergic.com/105246/when-looking-really-meant-not-touching/
