left: Sperman (2007) by Cary Kwok; right: Here Cums the Spider (2007) by Cary Kwok.
NSFW, as if you need to be told. It’s almost a commonplace of contemporary art that there are so many artists around today, producing such a volume of work, that any newcomer (as it were) has to find a niche and stay there if they want their efforts to stand out from the crowd. Cary Kwok’s niche seems to be the seminal emission which he depicts in a variety of ways, including showing various well-known comic-book characters shooting their respective loads. Kwok’s work has been shown recently at the Herald Street gallery, London, and Hard Hat, Geneva.
I like Kwok’s drawings, they’re carefully-done and funny, and serve to remind one that the cum shot is under-represented in art. Despite various Biblical prohibitions, women have been subject to no end of sexual display throughout art history, from copulations with gods in the form of animals to Danaë’s impregnation by Zeus as a literal golden shower. But male sexuality, especially at its most essential moment, has rarely been depicted outside the pages of pornography. The irony of this, as with arguments against erections in art, is that if it wasn’t for ejaculations we wouldn’t be here to discuss their pros and cons. Gay artists have been in the vanguard of addressing the sperm-drought, possibly because they have more than a passing interest in these matters; Michael Petry’s work earlier this year took a lateral view. There’s another sample (as it were) of Cary Kwok’s work below the fold plus some other seminal (as it were) artworks through the ages.
Update: Jack-Off Sculpture Sells For $15 Million.
Coition of Hemisected Man and Woman (1492) by Leonardo da Vinci.
Lubricity (1902) by Alfred Kubin.
Der Bote (The Messenger) (1908) from Erzahlungen Am Toilettentische by Franz von Bayros.
Self-portrait with Two Women (1920) by George Grosz.
Bookplate by and for the library of Angel Mendez (1950).
Untitled XIV (ejaculation in trajectory) (1989) by Andres Serrano.
My Lonesome Cowboy (1998) by Takashi Murakami.
Another view, with the painting Spring Liquid in the background.
Eternity (2007) by Cary Kwok.
Bukkake Tsunami (2007) by Norbert Bisky.
Mis Leches (2009) by Felix D’Eon.
Fountain (2011) by John Coulthart.
Wild Boys (2014) by John Coulthart.
Mention should perhaps be made of the photographs of Jeff Koons with ex-wife Ilona Staller but I didn’t include those here since they’re no different t0 the millions of images you’ll find on any porn site. Finally, for those desperate to explore the subject further, there’s Murat Aydemir’s academic text, Images of Bliss: Ejaculation, Masculinity, Meaning.
Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The gay artists archive
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Michael Petry’s flag
• Super-objects!
Hey John, I loved this post. One of the best things about blogs generally and in particular yours and a very few others I visit on a daily basis, is their capacity for introducing you to new artists, authors, etc. etc. I loved that statue? Sculpture by Takashi Murakami which I hadn’t seen before so off I go to Google.
What your picture doesn’t quite convey however, is the scale of the thing. I’d kind of assumed that it was a ‘toy’ sized figure but there’s a picture of it on Murakami’s website showing him standing beside it and it’s lifesize!! certainly out of all the pictures you found, that’s the one that stands out for me as making come into something beautiful, in fact almost magical…
That’s a good point re: the size of the sculpture, Callum, so I’ve added another picture which also includes his accompanying painting, Spring Liquid. I tried to find a picture of the latter on its own but without success.
I only discovered Murakami recently even though he’s been having big exhibitions for a while. That piece is one of many of his that plays with figures and images in anime to quite startling effect. Makes me think of William Burroughs’ Wild Boys more than anything. It’s meant to be (in that typical explanatory art world manner) some comment on the sexualisation of Japanese culture but, as you say, it has a magic all of its own whatever his original intention.
The educational thing works both ways with blogs, I find the process of putting these little posts together is teaching me a lot as well. And it’s great to pass on discoveries, as you know yourself.
simpelly disgusting
your sick man…
or just a virgem weird nerd…
huh. Jizz in a statue. fifteen million dollars for a sculpture of some guy blowing his wad and swinging it around.
And when you see a picture of a hot piece of a$$, it’s called pr0n.
Go figure.
Well written, and so rare, I’m not gay but still happen to think that the erect penis is one of the most beautiful, iconic things in the natural world. Outside of Mapplethorpe and certain Japanese temples I have not really found any expressions of this and would like to know if there are others. The lovely lingam deserves a thick coffee table book of its own IMHO. Thanks for this.
Hi Roman, and thanks. I certainly agree with you about the beauty of the penis. Taschen has recently published The Big Penis Book which I’m still a bit dubious about since it seems to be mostly Seventies’ porn shots. But I’ll probably end up buying it anyway, if only for the splendid cover.
Thanks for the tip John. I watched a video re the book here:
http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/community/video/21022.the_big_penis_book.htm
Pretty smutty, I’m afraid. In a word, meat. Hardly the aesthetic approach that photographers take with the female nude. Or that Cary Kwok takes. Oh well, the search goes on. May have to get a camera out and do it myself one day…
In the meantime, these aren’t too bad:
http://www.naked-man.com/big-dick/g02/
Yes, smutty but the cover gets my vote.
I think there are a couple of gay photographers who’ve photographed penises in an elegant fashion but offhand I can’t think who they might be.
Found one or two here at this rich source of, mostly quite classy erotica:
http://lemateurdart.wordpress.com
Ah yeah, I’ve visited that page before, I think. The Trevor Watson photo is great, very hot.
It’s too true, the prohibition in art, especially, against male genitalia. I’ve wondered about so many things in this life, this one seems worthy of investigation. I have drawn sketches, as I’m sure many other women (and men) have done, which I found to be quite lovely. Being a child of my culture, I always found myself feeling a little naughty afterward, Silly. Thank you for opening up this site and perhaps getting a few more open minds in the world. Hey, and 15 million dollars is quite a mind opener in itself! kh