Constructing the Sexual Self: Wolfgang Tillmans's Portraiture and BUTT Magazine

Joe Festa

Joe Festa

Abstract

The overarching goal of this visual essay is to analyze Wolfgang Tillmans's photography as it relates to gender representation and queer identity. In particular, I attend to theories set forth by Sigmund Freud, Kaja Silverman, and Judith Butler in an effort to engage historic and contemporary psychoanalytic thought with visual cues present in the artist's portraiture for BUTT Magazine. My aim is to expand upon socially constructed notions of masculinity and femininity, to illustrate how Tillmans's images represent a contemporary portrayal of gender, and to cultivate a deeper critical reading of the artist and his work.

Author Biography

Joe Festa

Joe Festa is a fiber artist, librarian, and archivist currently living in New York City with his husband and two cats. As a librarian and archivist, his research interests include visual information literacy, artists' papers, and the representation of gender and sexuality in contemporary art and the archive. As an artist, he explores traditional weave structures and untraditional techniques and draws inspiration from natural dyes and the inherent properties and characteristics of wool fiber and yarn. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to the author at josephfesta@gmail.com.