Wessel + O’Connor Fine Art Gallery: Blake Little

“The Company of Men” exhibition at Wessel + O’Connor Fine Art Gallery also located in the 111 Front Street Galleries presents the solo exhibition of photographer Blake Little. Little stages everyday man in “settings that complement the subject or tell a story”. Common surroundings such as the subject’s home, workplaces, or typical hangouts serve as the backdrop for the artist’s note worthy photographs. Many of the authentic environments add to the rouged exterior of the man photographed. Some men are sexualized such as Wolfgang, Portland, OR (2006) or Mark, Rugby, Seattle, WA (2005) while others appear genuine and hard working like Todd, Vacaville, CA (2007) and Chuck, San Francisco, CA (2006). Each piece acts as a window into a different man’s unknown life. The men are portrayed as ordinary yet all of them harbor a certain secret. Each is gay but none outwardly exhibit the usual characteristics of a stereotypical homosexual man. Little’s motivation for the series was to document rarely seen gay men who are overtly masculine breaking down the common markers of a typical gay man.