deconstructing masculinity with joseph wolfgang ohlert's poster boys

Feminist art collective Curated By GIRLS follows its debut exhibition, Freer in Berlin, with a new show that focuses on the work of Berlin-based artist Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert. Titled POSTER BOYS, the exhibition is series of portraits featuring a variety of young men. Deconstructing what it means to be a man, the exhibition calls into question the relevance of masculinity. What does masculinity look like today? Should it even exist as a concept?

"These are portraits of young men who I think are beautiful. Some I met through Facebook, Instagram, some are good friends," Joseph explains. "There are so many people out there I would love to have in my life, but I can't, so with the photos I'm taking of them I'm creating a connection we will have forever. I sometimes feel like if I don't take a picture of whoever I'm meeting, it doesn't actually feel like we have met."

"I had a huge crush on Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert's work and his vision of gender — that nobody's 100% man or woman," Curated by GIRLS co-founder Laetitia Duveau explains. "I had the chance to have Joseph's amazing book Gender As A Spectrum exhibited in my first group show. And I wanted to celebrate this great talent more in depth. I am beyond excited that he accepted to take part in this next show."

Credits

Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert