Hunty

Produced during the 2019 Intergenerational LGBT Artists Residency, ‘Hunty’ is a series of twelve orange hunting balaclavas embellished with paint and glitter to resemble the make-up of drag queens. They are a reflection on toxic masculinity entrenched in hunting culture and serve as a challenge to signifiers of masculinity through culture mapping.

 The balaclava has become a symbol within activist cultures, creating safety through anonymity. The institutions that support patriarchal masculinity expect this same anonymity of men through their uniform and behaviour codes.

 By applying individual characteristics to each balaclava and placing them in shadow boxes lined with fabrics associated with both fashion and hunting cultures, the heteronormative masculine standard of individualism is destabilised, creating space for conversations about positive masculinity and its place in gender equality.