HEAPS GAY. HEAPS SAMUEL HODGE.
By Samuel Leighton-Dore
Samuel Hodge’s distinctive back-catalog of work would perhaps best be described as the photographic musings of a twinkling, nonjudgmental eye. In conversation, as in his art, there’s a notable generosity and absence of ego, which is particularly refreshing given the egoic nature of his various achievements.
Basically, he’s under no illusion that his shit don’t stink – even turning around and taking a cheeky snap of the steamer on film. Despite some post-Europe jet-lag and pre-exhibition jitters, Heaps Gay caught up with Hodge for a delightfully quick chat ahead of his new show “The Golden Promise” launching at Alaska Projects tonight.
“The show itself was conceptualised while traveling in New York last year,” he recalls over direct message on Instagram (he recently deleted his Facebook account for reasons we don’t delve into – though one might venture a guess that it has something to do with the subject matter of his latest work).
“While inconclusive, the work radiates from a single conversation I had with someone online. From there it grew into this strange land I created – a parallel time and place that deals with the mercurial ways I perceive time and memories.”
A regular traveler, Hodge is the first to admit that his recent trip to Berlin was deliberately bent towards “business and family” rather than another opportunity to take advantage of the city’s famously raucous nightlife.
“My trip to Berlin was actually very sensible this time around. I read a lot, did some research, went to the Philharmonic, and began making new work for a solo show I have in Melbourne at the Anna Pappas Gallery in April. I’m not very good at being a party pig and tend to avoid that queer party scene. I find it’s a slippery slope to doing nothing for a very long time.”
With past works featuring in BUTT Magazine and a masterful knack for treading the ever-blurred line between fetish and erotic realism, there’s little doubt that Sam is a man with something to say about sex.
“Sexuality is something I’ve never really shied away from in my work,” he admits.
“It’s also something that, for me, isn’t so implicit. I think some of the people who view my work mistakenly think this is the case, but I suspect it’s more-so fetishised from their point of view, rather than actually being spoken about in any meaningful way.”
“I try to speak to sexuality as something that isn’t just what I am, but also what everyone on the planet is. It’s why I choose not to identify as a “queer artist” but only as an artist. Just as a straight male painter wouldn’t be labelled as such.”
Opening tomorrow night 6pm-8pm, “THE GOLDEN PROMISE” runs at Alaska Projects from Jan 27 – Feb 14.
