Will Edgar
My approach to photography is quite uncomplicated and instinctive, shooting with analog cameras and using only natural light. Themes of masculinity, place, connection and identity are common in my work. This year I have been exploring the importance of place and belonging under the umbrella of queer identity. The photo series titled Beach Boys was produced while living back in Wollongong, the southern New South Wales coastal town where I grew up. Creating a series on queerness in a place I had felt excluded from and oppressed by was a powerful and important experience.
This series explores male identity with an aim to disrupt gender stereotypes in coastal towns of Australia. It entails a reflective look at the way men are raised in these places and tells stories of queer minorities who have historically been neglected and criminalised within their own communities. Beach Boys was inspired by coastal landscapes, the male form, the history of queer identity in Australia and the effects of masking one’s identity to conform to society’s expectations.
Untitled, 2020
Pigment print
400mm x 400mm
Untitled, 2020
Pigment print
400mm x 400mm
Untitled, 2020
Pigment print
400mm x 400mm
Untitled, 2020
Pigment print
400mm x 400mm
Untitled, 2020
Pigment print
400mm x 400mm
