Cruising, by Chad States

I've been meaning for quite a while to write about Chad States and his series Cruising, and it seems like his work keeps coming up in conversation over and over again lately so I figure now is as good a time as any to finally get on the topic.
I think the main reason why Cruising has stuck in the front of my mind so much since seeing it a few years ago is because of the masterful way in which States constructs his narrative. Usually when I look at a photographer's body of work for the first time, I prefer to have little or no information, artist statement, etc., and instead to slowly build from my own intuitive reactions to the images. Maybe this is based on the assumption that an average reader or viewer or gallery patron might sometimes experience the work in a similarly fresh-eyed way. I'll admit that being vaguely familiar with a certain idiomatic meaning of "cruising", I definitely had a hunch to what I might be seeing in the series, but again, wanted to approach the photographs with as little pretense or expectation as possible. That being said, States weaves his narrative in a stunning way that brings us into the experience -- whether we're comfortable with or consenting to that or not.
(**note: all color photographs below are copyright Chad States, from the series Cruising**)

The viewer begins outside the woods, eventually led in amongst winding idyllic paths bathed in beautiful soft light, directing us deeper into the trees. The eye and mind are left to wander freely through beautiful and tranquil natural settings.

And eventually we arrive at the premise of the narrative: Cruising is States' photographic exploration of secret sites across the U.S. where gay men rendezvous for anonymous sexual encounters -- parks, rest stops, or other public spaces on the outskirts of the bustling daily world.

Having visually entered into the woods (as viewers) and seeing the acts taking place (perhaps in a small clearing, perhaps mostly obscured by sunlit branches and foliage), we are confronted and challenged: to linger, to stare, to evaluate what we are seeing and experiencing. For here lies the other power of States' series: we have now become participants in the voyeuristic act of looking, which has been a central component of photography (both in terms of creating -and- viewing images) since its inception.

Part of what I find fascinating about this project is how it taps into our basic intrinsic need -- which really transcends sexuality or sexual preference -- for the human touch and for intimate interaction, an idea that seems to have grown all the more intense in the modern era where so much interaction is increasingly mediated through layers of removal (specifically the Internet), and now made all the more vivid in States' photographs where the moment of human connection is simple, fleeting, and nameless, and yet, fulfills that very basic desire.

"Cruising" has long been a coded part of gay culture, and States' images give us glimpses into the practice in a way that is frank yet not sensationalistic, and somewhat erotic without seeming like exploitation or shallow titillation. He utilizes a visual language of classical landscape photography to contextualize the sexual interactions against beautiful natural backdrops, perhaps romanticizing the subject matter or, at the very least, challenging the notions of those viewers who would perceive gay sex as dirty, immoral, sinful, etc.
In that vein, its a powerful and necessary contribution to much-needed dialogues about gay issues, and more specifically the crucial inclusion of gay voices in that conversation (unlike the contemporary political practice of crusty old white men trying to make legislative decisions about womens' health and reproductive rights, for example). And in such a context, a selection of images from States' project are also currently on view in the exhibition Author and Subject: Contemporary Queer Photography, showing at the Photographic Center Northwest in Seattle, alongside works by Adrain Chesser, Kelli Connell, Katie Koti, Molly Landreth, Steven Miller, Rafael Soldi, Lorenzo Triburgo, Amelia Tovey and Sophia Wallace.

Author and Subject: Contemporary Queer Photography
ongoing thru 27 May 2012
Photographic Center Northwest
900 12th Ave., Seattle

One final note on States' work in Cruising, it certainly brings to mind the images in The Park, by Japanese photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki. Using infrared film, Yoshiyuki roamed thru public parks across Japan at nite, capturing couples (gay or straight) in the midst of sexual escapades, as well as the curious spectators around them (who oftentimes try to join in the act).

Untitled, 1972

from the series The Park

© Kohei Yoshiyuki

Untitled, 1971

from the series The Park

© Kohei Yoshiyuki