“Suburban,” the first Chicago solo exhibition of the counterculture photographer Jimmy DeSana — who lived in New York’s East Village in the 1970s — is exhibiting 12 surreal photographs (completed between 1979 and 1985). The hues of “Suburban” are far too wild to sit in family-photo frames on household walls. Punk-pink, spellbound green, and zealous red dye light the domestic interior with a downtown New York aura. This visual context exposes bodies’ queerness as if they were free to express their joy and beauty.
In the early 1980s, queer bodies became the target of bigoted fear in the public and in the media regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic. DeSana died an untimely death from complications of AIDS. People were unable to express their identities, and so they retreated into shells. DeSana, who was active in the queer mail art network on AIDS-related issues, preserves these bodies through a breathtaking lens by turning them into sculptures, or inanimate household items.
Jimmy DeSana, “Soap Suds” (1980). All images courtesy of the Jimmy DeSana Trust, Document and P.P.O.W.
In “Soap Suds” (1980) a body floats lighter and spills faster than and other suds coming out of the toilet. The red color throughout evokes a feeling of nausea at the smell of toilet cleaner encountering soap. Another body buries its head in a kitchen sink, becoming shambles in contrast to the tidy view in “Sink” (1979). The clock next to the figure seems to be a reminder of the transience in this existence. Both images depict an odd scene wherein these bodies are compelled to clean themselves, albeit in a torturous way.
The cheerful, monstrous shadow dancing on the corner of the wall in “Extension Cord” (1979) satirically reflects the cramped body standing on a cord while balancing a chair, whose legs reach up to the ceiling. The body seeks to extend beyond the frame but is unable to, so it becomes a tangled extension of household items, with the shadow joyful but the figure trapped. This living struggle is further revealed in “Cardboard” (1985) where a body tries to fit into six pieces of cardboard. The body and its cardboard shell buckle, and the figure must feel a lack of comfort as they press their head into the dead corner. A hermit crab might also feel the same discomfort. Likewise, the body in “Four Legs with Shoes” (1980) is like a tortoise who is yelping “Help!”
Jimmy DeSana, “Four Legs with Shoes” (1980)
The monochromatic lighting is reminiscent of safelight in photographic dark rooms, or nightclubs, rather than that of lived-in houses. Both of these artificial lights attempt to keep the glare of the outside world at bay if it does enter. The opposite is seen in “Coat Hanger” (1980) a rare photograph where light from the outside recklessly penetrates domestic space. By the sunny window, so bright that the details of the landscape have faded, two bodies connected to a clothes hanger — or it is stuck between their buttcheeks? — lean their weight on the door edge, as if wanting to rush out. The glass door blocking its way tells the subjects to be inside, be safe.
Bodies are the safe haven for their identity; when that function is lost, they become inanimate shells. This desolation presents views that are half-dreamy, half-real, artificial, and fluttering. Despite the scenes’ brilliance, the shells are only a temporal disguise as identities continue to struggle. This too, for DeSana, shall pass.
Jimmy DeSana, “Extension Cord” (1979)
Jimmy DeSana: Suburban was on display at Document (1709 West Chicago AveChicago) from Sept. 9 to October 28. The exhibition was organized by Document and P.P.O.W.
