‘ We live in an antirelational, vulnerability-despising culture, one that not only fails to nurture the skills of connection but actively fears them’ Bell Hooks, The Will to Change, Men, Masculinity and Love.
Maskulinities is an ongoing photographic and video project started in 2020. Through exploring ideas of masculinity and some of its alternative representations in contemporary Australia, it aims to create a space for representing masculine vulnerability and authenticity as a remedy against toxicity.
My work has been focusing on gender identities for years, before queerness became another form of commodification. After portraying friends and strangers from a wide gender spectrum background, I came full circle and wanted to focus on men as the core of the gender question. Cismen are the neutral gender from which everyone else is being defined, and othered. I’m interested in exploring how this domination of masculinity and its archetypes can turn against the dominant group itself.
Depression, substance abuse and suicide are prevalent through all age groups, for multidimensionnal reasons.
In Australia, ‘bloke’ culture can be particularly toxic, especially in some trades. Male bodies are reminded not to deviate from the gender representation they are supposed to stand for : be physically and emotionally strong, not expressing emotions - except anger which is a form of sadness validated by patriarchy - hiding their real self. This forced self betrayal or emotional numbing generates anger, depression, and an inability to grieve.
The act of wearing a mask is compulsory, its concept being intrinsically linked to that of mask-ulinity. This series is trying to look under the mask, for vulnerability and realness in men, and to show a space in between for self expression of wholeness.
Because masculinity doesn’t belong to cismen and should be as fluid and complementary as femininity, this project is inclusive of transmen and non binary people. Every encounter generates a portrait and a testimony on what masculinity means for them today in Australia.
This is a work in progress that has been on pause due to the pandemic.
‘Integrity means being whole, unbroken, undivided. It describes a person who has united the different parts of their personality so that there ’s no longer a split in the soul. Patriarchy encourages men to surrender their integrity and to live lives of denial.' Bell Hooks
‘I grew up with four sisters and no brothers. My sisters would dress me up in their clothes. My dad wasn’t macho he was very loving and domesticated. Ive never been comfortable with Australian blokey culture. I’ve been working in a female dominated industry for 13 years. I’m more comfortable being around women than men.’ Marcus
Marcus in the bush, Warrandyte, Australia 2020
Liam used to self harm when using drugs. Mapped in the scars is Liam's struggle with the pressures of a rigid masculinity, and the visual trace of his complex relationship with his father.
Liam's dad, an Australian veteran of the Vietnamese war, suffers from PTSD. Growing up in ‘bloke’ culture, where feelings are deemed weaknesses and pain can be endured, Liam was craving paternal affection and recognition. Liam was never hugged by his dad, but he inherited his trauma.
Luigi is an Afro Italian musician who grew up in a ´mad ethnic’ suburb of Melbourne. We met in a car park where he used to hang out that is located in Carlton, an Italian suburb that resonates with him as part of his heritage.
‘I have spent my whole life answering to white educators, working minimum wage to white bosses who just reprimand, and paying rent to white landlords who were pulling some dodgy shit. So never will I ever be able to be my full self in Australia without consequences.’ Luigi.
There’s this saying in Iran that you’ll become a man when you do your service : سربازی بری مرد میشی.
Aziz* is an Iranian Kurdish migrant who settled in Australia in 2012. He grew up in an unstable oppressive religious and patriarchal environment during the Iran/Iraq war.
Since doing the mandatory military service in Iran when he was 21 years old he has been dealing with PTSD.
The reality of living in a conflicted area is that maximum pressure is put on men. If you do not serve it’s harder for you to get certain jobs or a passport. In order for him to be able to come study in Australia, his family sold their house. It’s a huge price to pay for opportunity and freedom.
'Being here in a quite 'blokey' culture you compare yourself to that, and I don't recognize myself in this culture. So masculinity could be about comparing myself to other men. For example on a building site where I've worked I haven't felt at home there, or like it's my place. There have been times when I felt very vulnerable and I needed to talk about it and receive advices, but I haven't let myself do it. I internalized and fortified at the detriment of my health and confidence. I just dug away through life like a minor because to seek advice or to admit to be scared to pursue something is seen as somehow weak. Without realizing it I have seen weakness as a non masculine thing. Whether it's a physical or emotional weakness. I don't know what a dictionary definition of masculinity is, but it would be pretty close to what I thought I was supposed to be like growing up. It's a sort of insidious restrain in my mentality.' Tom
Tristan has been struggling with depression for years.
Josh is an Australian man. He’s quite introverted and works in IT. He once told me that if he could chose not to have a body he would prefer not to. A few Australian men told me they didn’t like to be touched.
Liam posing in his teenage bedroom at his parents house, where he had to move back after a breakup during the pandemic.
'I was a young man in the 90's, and obviously things have been progressing regarding gender issues since then. I was exposed to everything from people calling you 'faggot' in high school because of my physical stature and the way I dressed. I supposed I found an identity back then rejecting what I was teased for. It stemmed from both an insecurity and feeling liberated in a way because I had enough friends at the time who valued who I was. I also developed quite late, so that aspect of me was used to judge me.
Masculinity is quite toxic here in Australia. The culture of the tough guy, the ‘tradie’, is basically the polar opposite of me. A tradie is a stereotype. It’s someone who values someone only on their physical strength, their ability to put their emotions to bed and get through stuff no matter what. There’s also a cynicism if people’s sexuality deviates from being straight.’ Liam
Aziz is an Iranian migrant who settled in Australia in 2012. He grew up in an oppressive religious and patriarchal environment and was often called ‘a pussy’ for his looks or behavior.
The ‘psychologist Robert Levant names in a listing the chief constituents of masculinity :
‘Avoiding femininity, restrictive emotionality, seeking achievement and status, self-reliance, aggression, homophobia, and nonrelational attitudes toward sexuality’
Feminist masculinity would have as its chief constituents integrity, self-love, emotional awareness, assertiveness and relational skill, including the capacity to be empathic, autonomous and connected.’
‘For me, masculinity is like wearing an armour.’ Mitch, Melbourne, 2021
Tristan suffers from depression and chronic fatigue. He sleeps everywhere, at random hours, to escape the world.
