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Drawings of 30 naked men to be on display in new exhibition
A “bold and intimate collection of nude male portraits” will be on display in a new exhibition this autumn.
365 Naturists The Exhibition features drawings of 30 naked men created throughout lockdown as a way to overcome isolation.
It is the work of naturist artist Marlon Lorenty, who was also naked when he created the artworks via Zoom and in-person drawing sessions.
is needed now More than ever
The exhibition will take place as Bristol Bear Bar, the UK’s only bespoke bear bar, and appears alongside other original male erotica art.
Its creator hopes the showcase will spark conversations and community, as well as “spreading the joy of nudist art”.
Thank you for coming to the opening night of #PeoplesArtFair @PRStokesCroft! Great fun! ?
For more info https://t.co/hi2nOW4Ldm #peoplesartfair #PRSC #Bristol #artbristol #artexhibition #artfair #creative #exhibition #freeentry #streetart #gayartist #maleerotica #eroticaart pic.twitter.com/VpDkvLU9HZ
— Marlon Lorenty (@marlonserotica) September 16, 2022
“Thanks to this project, I’ve met amazing men who first got in touch with me to be part of my project, but after two years, they’ve become friends, and I’ve realised that the naturist community is a small world –we are all friends of friends,” said Lorenty, who is an Ecuadorian-born Spanish artist.
365 Naturists: The Exhibition first started in 2021 as a way to “promote naturism, body-positivity, and sex-positivity and to create an international community of men”. It also documents the impact the pandemic had on the life drawing sessions and its models.
More than 140 drawings have been created over two years, but the artist is on a mission to produce 225 more. There will be a space in the exhibition where men interested in posing for a portrait can submit requests.
At the exhibition in Old Market, the walls of the queer-friendly venue will be taken over by a mass display of prints of the male form, reproduced from the original drawings using black ink, graphite, and colour.
The artist forecasts that he will complete the project, drawing all 365 men, by summer 2024
Lorenty’s work explores the erotica of male nudity in the context of nature, sex, and desire, where most of his models are men who sleep with men.
The free exhibition on 2 West Street runs from October 5 to 15.
All photos: Marlon Lorenty
Read next:
- Inside Bristol’s first ever Naked Dining event
- World Naked Bike Ride returns to Bristol after three-year absence
- The ‘delicate, defiant’ living art resisting LGBTQ+ hate
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