Chad States (born 1975) is an American photographer and artist, living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
His photographic series include ''Cruising''
and ''Masculinities''.
Early life and education
States was born in
Edmonds, Washington. He holds a BA from
Evergreen State College and an MFA from
Tyler School of Art and Architecture
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture is based at Temple University, a large, urban, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tyler currently enrolls about 1,350 undergraduate students and about 200 graduate students in a wid ...
.
Life and work
States lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
where he is a member of the
artist collective. In 2009 we was an
artist-in-residence
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
at
Light Work in Syracuse, New York.
States is a gay man. His work is concerned with questions of masculinity and vulnerability, specifically pursued in a landscape of queer sex and desire.
''Cruising'' (2011) is a book of photographs of men
cruising for sex
Cruising for sex, or cruising, is walking or driving about a locality, called a cruising ground, in search of a sex partner, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety. Published: 11-14-2007 Published: 9-21-2005 Article from NYT about ...
outdoors in parks. "The subjects are anonymous, often appearing only partially, obscured by vegetation or shadows", and only a small part of the picture among the lush forestry of their surroundings.
Having initially worked solely with
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...
, since 2012/13 States has also worked with other mediums.
For his ''Masculinities'' series, States placed an ad on
Craigslist seeking anyone who identified as being masculine. His subjects were mostly
cisgendered men, but also included a few trans men, and women. He "met the subjects at their homes, where he photographed them in poses and scenarios they themselves dictated." The "variety proves how impossible it is to fit masculinity into one box or to define it simply. Each person States photographs crafts their own idea of masculinity". Accompanying each portrait is a quote describing what it means to them to be manly.
States has said:
"I'm a big fan of /nowiki>Katy Grannan">Katy_Grannan.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Katy Grannan">/nowiki>Katy Grannan/nowiki>. Her work feels very cruel and very tender at the same time and I love that idea of exploitation, of power dynamics. It makes the images exciting. I try to make work that creates a discussion about exploitation. I find the idea of, "How much am I exploiting the subject here?" very interesting."
Publications
Publications by States
*''Cruising''. Brooklyn:
powerHouse, 2011. With texts by Gordon Brent Ingram and Alec Soth">powerHouse Books">powerHouse, 2011. With texts by Gordon Brent Ingram and Alec Soth. .
*''Trade''. First edition. Philadelphia: self-published, 2012. Loose-leaf collection of photographs. Edition of 40 copies.
*''Trade''. Summer Edition / second edition. Philadelphia: self-published, 2012. Loose-leaf collection of photographs. Edition of 40 copies.
*''Trade''. Winter Edition. Philadelphia: self-published, 2013. Loose-leaf collection of photographs. Edition of 40 copies.
Publications with contributions by States
* ''Alec Soth's Lonely Boy Mag. Issue 2: Boys and Their Cars.'' St. Paul, MN: Little Brown Mushroom, 2011. Text and photographs by States (''Give or Take''), Alec Soth (''The Most Beautiful Woman in Georgia)'' and Todd Hido (''Suburban Souls''), and erotic dioramas by Peter Davidson. Edition of 1000 copies.
Group exhibitions
*''Into the Woods'',
ClampArt, New York City, 2012. Included work from ''Cruising''.
*
Blue Sky Gallery
Blue Sky Gallery, also known as The Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts, is a non-profit exhibition space for contemporary photography in Portland, Oregon. Blue Sky Gallery is dedicated to public education, began by showing local artists and ...
, Portland, Oregon, 2014. Included work from ''Cruising''.
Collections
States' work is held in the following permanent collection:
*
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is an art museum on the campus of Auburn University, and is the only accredited university art museum in Alabama. Opened on October 3, 2003, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art contains six exhibitio ...
, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama: 1 print (as of May 2021)
References
External links
*
"Chad States Shoots Strangers Having Sex in the Forest" interview about ''Cruising'' at ''Vice''
"Interview: Photographer Chad States on Cruising" interview about ''Cruising'' at ''The Fader''
"Men at Their Most Masculine" gallery of photographs and interview about ''Masculinities'' at ''The Morning News''
States talks about various photography projects at Blue Sky Gallery, 2014(video, 30 mins)
{{DEFAULTSORT:States, Chad
21st-century American photographers
American gay artists
Temple University Tyler School of Art alumni
Evergreen State College alumni
Gay photographers
LGBT people from Washington (state)
American LGBT photographers
Date of birth missing (living people)
1975 births
Living people
21st-century American LGBT people