Adam Wilson Holmes is a UK-based artist, who graduated in Fine Art from Sunderland University. Over the last 10 years, his practice has delved into themes of coming-of-age, masculinity, and vulnerability.

Adam’s work has been an exploration of the self, and how his upbringing and heteronormative culture impacted his view of the world. In his series 'The Male Gaze' he takes classical figurative female nude paintings and recreates them as drawings of male nude. The male gaze throughout history has been exclusionary of queer male expression, and the works look to address this balance, bringing art from the past into a contemporary setting.

This series blurs the lines between objectification and celebration, showing both the joys and challenges of the community. He has maintained a diverse creative practice which has seen him partake in group and solo shows from grassroots and established venues, and in two artists residencies.

We had the pleasure of talking with Adam on the occasion of the 2023 edition of Queer Frontiers as one of this year’s exhibiting artists.

Artiq In your work, you associate masculinity and vulnerability. How do you convey the intersection between two concepts so often distanced from one another?

Adam My relationship with masculinity as a queer person has been contentious, as it has been for many of us. I find it important for myself as an artist to be vulnerable about my own relationship with masculinity, to allow others to have a glimpse into authentic struggles that are rarely displayed amongst men. The intersection of the two in my work really comes from tussling with my own insecurity and curiosities in the public eye.

Artiq In your series ‘The Male Gaze’ you take inspiration from classical images to bring them to a contemporary setting. Why do you believe is important to link art history to contemporary societal conversation?

Adam I think there's so much we can learn about how much or how little things have changed societally. One thing I've discovered when contrasting art history with contemporary societal topics is that things don't necessarily progress, but rather power is shifted from one source to another. For example, with ‘The Male Gaze’ series, I swap gender roles of paintings from art history that objectify women, and redraw them as men; This creates a dynamic that is refreshing and fun in ways to see, but the issue still remains that there is a power imbalance.

Artiq Does mythology play a part in showcasing the complex nature of queerness, where a wide range of identities and experiences coexist?

Adam Absolutely! Mythology encompasses so many dynamic and diverse elements of the human condition and human behaviour in general. Mythology is one of the great tapestries of humankind and collective consciousness. I believe so much of our perception of the world has been filtered through a lens of heteronormativity and capitalism, which ultimately needs to suppress certain aspects of human nature to thrive. This naturally impacts parts of us that crave the freedom of expression and the self, which are the cornerstone of queer joy. I feel like the storytelling of mythology validates parts of not only queerness but of human nature in general.

Artiq Can you tell us a bit more about the limited-edition print you have created for this exhibition?

Adam My limited edition print is from a series of drawings of male physiques, referenced from Instagram models and ad campaigns, in which I depict them as statues and relics of the past. The drawings are formed using a carbon mono-printing technique, which allows a graphic line, whilst also bringing this beautiful soft diffused quality to the shade. The drawing I created for the limited edition print is based on an underwear advert, which I carefully selected for the pose that references artworks of the past.