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Luke Gilford's Tender Photographs of Gay Rodeos
Last edited Tue Aug 9, 2022, 03:13 PM - Edit history (1)
Art
Luke Gilford’s Tender Photographs of Gay Rodeos
The Los Angeles-based photographer offers an updated version of the mythologized American cowboy, calling rodeos “the traditional drag of America.”
by Elaine Velie
17 hours ago
Photographer Luke Gilford says his earliest memories are of rodeos. In family trips from their home in Colorado to support his father, who competed and served as a rodeo judge, Gilford remembers the animals, the landscapes, the people, and the outfits — snakeskin boots, Stetson hats, and belt buckles. ... “My dad’s belt buckles were so huge — bigger than my head,” Gilford told Hyperallergic. “And the people too. The big hair, the lipstick, the denim, and all of those pastel geographies.” Then the family moved to California, away from the Southwestern epicenter of the sport, and Gilford’s father broke his neck and back, ending his rodeo career. The son grew up to become a successful photographer and director in Los Angeles.
But at some point in his youth, Gilford had already started to pull away from the rodeo, realizing how patriarchal and “inherently homophobic” it could be. ... “Which is ironic because it is such a kind of drag performance — this traditional drag of America,” said Gilford. “I really love the Southwest, part of me really missed it, but I also knew it wasn’t really for me.”
In 2016, Gilford discovered the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), where cowboys can compete without restricting expressions of their queer identity. Started in the 1970s, these rodeos function almost exactly like their traditional counterparts — there are standard events such as bull riding, calf roping, and barrel racing — with a few quirky additions: “steer decorating” (a team of two has to tie a ribbon onto a steer), “wild drag racing” (a cowboy and cowgirl in drag have to get a steer across a finish line before mounting it and attempting to ride it back), and “goat dressing” (a two-person team has to get a pair of underwear onto a goat).
Gilford began traveling to IGRA rodeos in his spare time and photographing the people there. These photographs (previously compiled into a 2020 book) are currently on view at the SN37 Gallery in Manhattan’s Seaport District through August 28.
{snip}
A triptych hanging upstairs shows three cowboys who have been injured. (photo Elaine Velie/Hyperallergic)
Luke pointed to three photographs grouped together on the gallery’s upper level as personal favorites. On the left, a figure stands with a gash in his denim shirt; in the center, a different subject places their arm, in a cast, over their shoulder; and on the right, another stands tall and proud, holding his arm in a sling. All three men pictured had been injured in rodeo events. ... “This notion of rugged individualism and conventional masculinity that dominates in cowboy mythology — these show that there are also queer people, and queer people who are so resilient,” Gilford said. “These people may not conform to the traditional image of a cowboy, but they have a shimmering silver and gold champion belt buckle.”
{snip}
This article, part of a series focused on LGBTQ+ artists and art movements, is supported by Swann Auction Galleries.
Swann’s upcoming sale “LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History,” featuring works and material by Tom of Finland, Peter Hujar, Robert Mapplethorpe, Oscar Wilde, Andy Warhol, and many more will take place on August 18, 2022.
Luke Gilford’s Tender Photographs of Gay Rodeos
The Los Angeles-based photographer offers an updated version of the mythologized American cowboy, calling rodeos “the traditional drag of America.”
by Elaine Velie
17 hours ago
Photographer Luke Gilford says his earliest memories are of rodeos. In family trips from their home in Colorado to support his father, who competed and served as a rodeo judge, Gilford remembers the animals, the landscapes, the people, and the outfits — snakeskin boots, Stetson hats, and belt buckles. ... “My dad’s belt buckles were so huge — bigger than my head,” Gilford told Hyperallergic. “And the people too. The big hair, the lipstick, the denim, and all of those pastel geographies.” Then the family moved to California, away from the Southwestern epicenter of the sport, and Gilford’s father broke his neck and back, ending his rodeo career. The son grew up to become a successful photographer and director in Los Angeles.
But at some point in his youth, Gilford had already started to pull away from the rodeo, realizing how patriarchal and “inherently homophobic” it could be. ... “Which is ironic because it is such a kind of drag performance — this traditional drag of America,” said Gilford. “I really love the Southwest, part of me really missed it, but I also knew it wasn’t really for me.”
In 2016, Gilford discovered the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), where cowboys can compete without restricting expressions of their queer identity. Started in the 1970s, these rodeos function almost exactly like their traditional counterparts — there are standard events such as bull riding, calf roping, and barrel racing — with a few quirky additions: “steer decorating” (a team of two has to tie a ribbon onto a steer), “wild drag racing” (a cowboy and cowgirl in drag have to get a steer across a finish line before mounting it and attempting to ride it back), and “goat dressing” (a two-person team has to get a pair of underwear onto a goat).
Gilford began traveling to IGRA rodeos in his spare time and photographing the people there. These photographs (previously compiled into a 2020 book) are currently on view at the SN37 Gallery in Manhattan’s Seaport District through August 28.
{snip}
A triptych hanging upstairs shows three cowboys who have been injured. (photo Elaine Velie/Hyperallergic)
Luke pointed to three photographs grouped together on the gallery’s upper level as personal favorites. On the left, a figure stands with a gash in his denim shirt; in the center, a different subject places their arm, in a cast, over their shoulder; and on the right, another stands tall and proud, holding his arm in a sling. All three men pictured had been injured in rodeo events. ... “This notion of rugged individualism and conventional masculinity that dominates in cowboy mythology — these show that there are also queer people, and queer people who are so resilient,” Gilford said. “These people may not conform to the traditional image of a cowboy, but they have a shimmering silver and gold champion belt buckle.”
{snip}
This article, part of a series focused on LGBTQ+ artists and art movements, is supported by Swann Auction Galleries.
Swann’s upcoming sale “LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History,” featuring works and material by Tom of Finland, Peter Hujar, Robert Mapplethorpe, Oscar Wilde, Andy Warhol, and many more will take place on August 18, 2022.
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