“Beam Me Up" (Hunter and Bennett at Southern Decadence), 2024

My artistic practice starts with my camera–my most trusted companion, which follows me into many of life’s precarious situations. Most often, I photograph my lived experience as a gay man; my camera most often witnessing moments intense displays of tenderness on the dance floors of clubs and festivals. Using these photos as references, I make paintings that exaggerate the soft candor of the figures and public displays of flesh that characterize gay and queer culture. I take special care to gain consent from and open dialogue with the people that I portray in my work creating a stronger bond with my community.