Carolyn Drake’s MEN UNTITLED delves deep into the complexities of masculinity in American culture. Mixing symbols of virility, self-portraits with striking images of men “laid bare,” MEN UNTITLED functions as both introspection and documentary, exploring how the myth of masculinity is constructed, deconstructed, and reinterpreted through personal encounters and visual storytelling.
In contrast to her previous work, she broadens the scope by separating the work from contextual markers of geography. Erasing nearly all signs of place, Drake invites the viewer to look directly at the male bodies in front of the camera. Getting closer to her subjects through collaborative portraiture, she ends up calling both the viewer’s expectations and her own perceptions into question.
By shifting away from her earlier, more location-specific work, Drake challenges the viewer’s preconceived notions about masculinity. Through collaborative portraiture, she captures her subjects in ways that are at once intimate and revealing, making both the men’s vulnerability and the viewer’s expectations equally exposed. The work not only examines male identity but also serves as a critique of the societal narratives we inherit about gender and power.
