Bois is one of a number of photographic series in a solo exhibition of Sarah Baley’s work, currently exhibiting at a penthouse in LA. through August 31st 2021 by appointment only, due to COVID restrictions.

Sarah Baley Discusses her work:

The series Bois was created in 2005/2006.  At the time, “Boi and Bois” were considered fluid terms used amongst the contemporary queer community as a response to, and rejection of, labels that defined social normalcy, heterocentrism and heteronormativity. This community, then considered a fringe side of contemporary queer culture, rejected the gender binary system when gender fluidity was not understood by dominant culture.  Few were able to grasp gender as undefined and alive in a constant non-static state. It was so foreign, in fact, that it took several years before the series was finally shown at a gallery in New York’s Lower East Side.

Bois is a celebration of freedom and the individual. Visually expressed in cinematic portraits using classism and elements of Chiaroscuro and Tenebrism.  The cityscape is photographed in its transformation and metaphorically mirrors the ever changing landscape of gender and queer sexuality, moving, alive and fluid.

Works from the series are in the permanent collections of the J Paul Getty Museum and The Brooklyn Museum of Art as well as in numerous private collections.

How I see myself as an artist and photographer:

I frequently muse about the layered levels of photography and what it means to me, never taking for granted and always knowing that my camera is my instrument, a vessel for my art.

Photography has a complex identity, function and existence in the world.  It is in a constant state of rapid evolution, on so many levels then topped with a philosophical component. I look for new ways to match this consistent growth and depth by stretching to capacity what and how I create and see. Each photograph or series exhausts visual language. Images are textured with subtle themes and motifs in loosely structured narratives.

I try to create provocative images that are poetic and encourage perceiving what you think you know through a prismatic lens. Skew perception enough to turn the image into a mirror.

There is no separation or duality between being an artist and being a human who exists in the world. I’m always seeing as if for the first time- creating works charged with emotion by synthesizing experiences and ideas into moments that are alive, and make the story breathe.  Photographs, by nature, exist in the past. That’s the challenge and it’s exciting.

Sarah Baley is a Brooklyn based Fine Arts Photographer. Her work is in the permanent collections of The J Paul Getty Museum and The Brooklyn Museum of Art as well as in numerous private collections.

The exhibition is part of a project and is hosted by Alek Keshishian, director of Madonna: Truth or Dare. Alek is a long time advocate and supporter. He has hosted several events at the penthouse and has exposed Baley’s art to a variety of notables in Hollywood including Selena Gomez, Amanda Seyfriend, Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow to name just a few.

www.sarahbaley.com
@sarahbaley
sarah@sarahbaley.com
(917) 697-8977