1421 Laveta Terrace - online exhibition with CULTUREEDIT / Tom of Finland Store

It's my pleasure to announce a new online exhibition of my work with CULTUREEDIT / Tom of Finland store to celebrate the life and work of Tom of Finland who would have been 100 years old May 8th.

"STUART SANDFORD: 1421 Laveta Terrace

CULTUREEDIT / Tom of Finland Store is thrilled to announce an online exhibition titled 1421 Laveta Terrace, an intimate collection of photographs and moving image works by British artist Stuart Sandford.

The exhibition consists of Sandford’s Polaroid suite 1421 Laveta Terrace, snap shots of his personal experiences and atmosphere at Tom of Finland Foundation taken during his time as artist-in-residence there and serving as an homage to Tom, alongside a special collaboration of portraits with porn actor Brent Corrigan, as well as documentation of a bronze sculpture where visitors to Tom of Finland Foundation were asked to contribute their urine in the making of the work.

Building on an ongoing practice that began with investigating unbridled adolescent narcissism and moving through the self-reflexive nature of photography in the era of ‘the selfie', Facebook and Instagram, Sandford redeploys analog photographic processes to document his experiences, preserving them for posterity with an unlikely medium. Each of his photographs capture an instantaneous moment – some ordinary, others erotic. Ultimately, Sandford creates a sequential portrait of a highly particular community, blurring the lines between artist and participant 

Sandford’s photographs from 1421 Laveta Terrace are now exclusively available as limited edition prints via CULTUREEDIT / Tom of Finland Store. This exhibition coincides with Sandford’s release of a new limited edition portfolio of the same name in a bespoke leather case to mark Tom’s centenary and is supported by The Icon LA. A portion of sales goes directly to ToFF, a none profit 501 (c)(3) educational archive."

The exhibition is online now and can be viewed in full until the end of June via this link. Recent online exhibitions by CULTUREEDIT / Tom of Finland Store include Slava Mogutin and Bruce LaBruce.

Brent VI, 2014

Self-portrait with Leo #1, 2014

Sebastian (relic) no.1, 2019-2020

Tom of Finland's 100th x attitude magazine

Honoured to be amongst an amazing list of artists in this special attitude magazine tribute to the life and work of Tom of Finland who would have been 100 this year. Available now via their website in both print and digital editions via this link.

Boys! Boys! Boys! - new book published by teNeues / MENDO

I'm one of over 50 artists featured in a new book to be released at the end of May 2020. BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! – edited by Ghislain Pascal, co-founder of The Little Black Gallery – presents a contemporary collection of queer and gay photography, full of variety, power and intensity. Featuring images from queer and gay photographers from more than 20 countries in a stunning celebration of queer and fine art. All royalties to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. More information about the book and pre-order here.

24 x 19.5 cm 
224 pages, Hardcover
ca. 130 color and b/w photographs
Text in English 
ISBN: 978-3-96171-252-6

1421 Laveta Terrace - Polaroid limited edition for Tom of Finland's 100th birthday

To celebrate the centenary of Tom of Finland, who would be 100 years old May 8th 2020, I’m thrilled to present a new limited edition (of 25) portfolio of 12 photographic works from my Polaroid suite titled 1421 Laveta Terrace, executed in 2014 whilst artist-in-residence at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles, CA. The Polaroid prints are presented in a handmade blind embossed Italian black leather pouch, with texts by Durk Dehner (president and co-founder ToFF) and artist Simon Haas. 20% of profits from sales of the portfolio will de donated to ToFF, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational archive.

1421 Laveta Terrace: Polaroids by Stuart Sandford
2020
12 x archival inkjet prints on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper presented in a black leather pouch
Case: 12 x 8.5 x 2.5 in / 30.4 x 21.5 x 6.3 cm
Prints: 8 x 10 in / 20.3 x 24.4 cm
Edition of 25 (+3APs)
Individual prints are signed, dated, and numbered

Available to pre-order now here.

Final version of my Ouroboros sculpture, executed in Carrara marble

I began working on my Ouroboros sculpture at the beginning of 2018 and, besides a number of unique editions and artists proofs, the final version was always intended to be an edition executed in Carrara marble. I visited Carrara itself to source the marble in spring 2018 and I’m thrilled to say the piece is now completed. The final work is 13 x 11 x 10 in / 33 x 27 x 25.4 cm and is an edition of 6 with one artist proof. It can be purchased online here.

The Body Is The Instrument - round table video

Last year at the Tom of Finland Foundation I curated a benefit exhibition with Bespoke Surgical titled The Body Is The Instrument, focusing on the interconnection of art, sex and science. As part of the programming, we held a round table discussion about the subjects and themes raised in the exhibition, moderated by Zach Staff (former editor-in-chief of The Advocate), with Dr. Evan Goldstein (founder of Bespoke), Durk Dehner (president and co-founder of ToFF), Simon Haas (artist), Rubén Esparza (artist and curator), and myself. You can see the full video below.

Interview in Reforma (Mexico)

I’ve been back in the UK for a week (after almost two months there) as part of my residency with the hotel group Selina. Whilst in Mexico City I was interviewed for Reforma, a major newspaper there (and even made the front page!) about the residency, my practice, and what I’ll be working on when I return to the city later in the year. You can read the article in full here (in Spanish but just use Google translate it you need to): https://bit.ly/39QacTU. Muchas gracias to Oscar cid de León for reaching out to me and making this happen, to Israel Sánchez for the nice words, and to everyone involved.

Artist residency at hotel Selina, Playa del Carmen

I’m delighted to be invited to be the first official artist-in-residence at hotel Selina, Playa del Carmen. I began the residency directly after the Christmas and New Year holiday period on January 7th and it will run until the end of the month. My main goals for the residency are to help facilitate the bringing together of local and visiting artists and creatives and LGBTQ+ people in a safe and supportive space. I’ll be holding three events during the residency, the first an art salon taking place on Thursday January 16th (information here), then a presentation of my work on Thursday January 23rd and finally a little (Br)exit party to mark the end of the residency on Saturday February 2nd (I’ll then be headed to Mexico City for Zona Maco, the largest Latin American art fair). More details to come.

Interview with Beyond Photography

I was interviewed by the good folk of Beyond Photography and you can see the full interview online via this link with an excerpt below.

"Talk to us about your Ouroboros series, what is the process?"

The Ouroboros sculpture was originally a commission but I expanded it into something bigger. It begins with the model and the 3D scan and for this work I had originally intended to use a single model but at the last minute he dropped out so, working with a specialist in 3D scanning and modelling, we actually composited together three different models.

I see 3D scanning as the next logical step in photography; if you consider analogue photography as 1.0, digital photography as 2.0, and 3D scanning as 3.0, and instead of having a 2D flat image that you can manipulate, you have a 3D model you can manipulate. Once I have that model, as in photography, I’ll choose how I want to execute the work. In this instance I’ve cast it in various sizes and materials like bronze or stainless steel using traditional lost- wax casting which is a method of casing that hasn’t really changed in six thousand years.

"That's a brilliant way to describe photography's transition into 3d. Your Ouroboros series is created digitally, but then executed as a sculpture, and your photography is heavily shot on film. Can you tell us about being an artist that uses both digital and more traditional methods?"

The sculptures can take many months and sometimes years to come together and so, especially in the case of Polaroid film, I like to be able to produce a work instantly, something tangible that I can in front of me right now. Also, in an ongoing series I started last year, I began to psychically cut the Polaroids and reassemble them and I see this almost as a form of “immediate sculpture”. I also love that once that cut is executed then there’s no going back.

Adlocutio (Sean Ford), 2020 - a new statue

The first iteration of two new statues working with the model and adult actor Sean Ford is now ready and I’m thrilled to present it. Building on my Sebastian series and referencing selfie culture, hookup apps, and the idea of ‘influencers’ and ‘followers’, Adlocutio (Sean Ford) is a new statue to be released early 2020 created using 3D scanning and sculpting technologies and working with the adult actor and model Sean Ford.⁣⁣
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“In ancient Rome the Latin word adlocutio means an address given by a general, usually the emperor, to his massed army and legions, and a general form of Roman salute from the army to their leader. The adlocutio is one of the most widely represented formulas of Roman art” - from Wikipedia.

More, much more, to follow.

Ouroboros (formation), 2019 - limited edition print collaboration with Double Happiness Projects

I’ve recently collaborated with Jeremy Tseng of Double Happiness Projects (an alternative art space based in Toronto's gallery district), to produce a new limited edition print of my Ouroboros sculpture which can be purchased directly from them online here. Presented on the occasion of Art Toronto and Edition Toronto, the print depicts the formation of the sculpture using 3D scanning and sculpting technologies and is a limited edition of 50, 8 x 8 in / 20 x 20 cm. This is my first collaboration of this type and it's been a great process.

Ouroboros (formation), 2019

Digital Sebastian (relic) via Seditionart.com

A limited edition digital version of my bronze Sebastian (relic) with verdigris urine patina is now available via seditionart.com in an edition of 50. The work was created by 3D scanning the actual bronze piece following its unearthing after 6 months in the ground at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles where visitors were encouraged to urinate on the spot where the bronze head was buried. The uric acid in the urine reacts with the copper in the bronze creating a blue/green patina. More info and purchase the work via this link.

Sebastian (relic), 2019, digital edition of 50

Interview with Mexico City/LA-based The Guest Magazine

I sat down with the The Guest Magazine to talk about my work whilst in Mexico City back in May. Here’s the interview in full and some lovely portraits of me and a small Ouroboros maquette.

Stuart Sandford Portfolio 2: Cumfaces

In 2010 I released my first portfolio, titled Stuart Sandford 1: 2004-2007, which collected 12 photographic works executed between 2004-2007. I always intended it to be the first in a series of portfolios but never quite got around to making the second one, until now that is.

I'm happy to present Stuart Sandford 2: Cumfaces, a limited edition (of 25) portfolio of 12 photographic works presented in a gold embossed archival clamshell box collecting my 2007 series Cumfaces. This series has been published and exhibited widely (most recently at Centre de la Photographie, Geneva and The Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam) and is the first iteration of the 'selfie' within my work that would directly lead to my Sebastian statue series.

The portfolio is now available for pre-order via this link and will be published October 14th with a pre-order price of $1,000 (plus shipping/handling). There are also 4 of the Stuart Sandford 1 portfolios still remaining which can be purchased here.

My third portfolio, yes you guessed it, Stuart Sandford 3, will be published late spring 2020 and will consist of 12 works from my new series of Polaroid Collages. More details to follow.

Cumfaces #1-12, 2007

Sebastian - augmented reality Snapchat filter

I made this Snapchat filter back in 2017 and it’s been lots of fun seeing what people have done with it around the world. Here’s the Snap code for those who want to have some fun with it and some examples of the filters that folk have sent me. Many thanks to all who took the time to install it and send me videos and screenshots. More to come!

Sebastian (relic) no.1, 2016-2019, cast bronze with verdigris (urine) patina

I’ve just completed work on the latest edition of one of my bronze relic sculptures from my ongoing Sebastian series and it’s now on view at Childs Gallery, Boston. Sebastian (relic) no.1, 2016-2019, cast bronze with verdigris (urine) patina, forms part of Out-Spoken: Fifty Years of Pride which runs through August 18th.⁣

Referencing both Warhol and Picasso, the bronze head was buried for 6 months in the garden of Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles and visitors were asked to urinate on the head. The uric acid within the urine reacts with the copper in the bronze prematurely ageing it and turning it a blue-green. The work was commissioned for a private collection and it’s rumoured that the Romans would utilise this same method, albeit with slave boys, to achieve a look that was akin to their beloved Greek bronzes. Thank you to all those involved for contributing and helping to make this work happen.

OSMOSCOSMOS - opening night and installation views

A selection of opening night photographs and installation views of my work and others (including Water Pfeiffer, Thomas Ruff, and Nobuyoshi Araki) as part of OSMOSCOSMOS running until August 25th at the Centre de la Photographie, Geneva.

50JPG - OSMOSCOSMOS - Centre de la Photographie, Geneva - opening reception June 18th 2019

Thrilled to take part in this HUGE museum show with over 100 incredible artists from around the world where I’ll be showing a new iteration of my Cumfaces from 2007. I’ll be there for the reception which is June 18th. Info below.

Cumfaces #1-12, 2007

On the occasion of our 6th edition of the triennial 50JPG (50 Days for Photography in Geneva), come and celebrate with us the opening of OSMOSCOSMOS⁣⁣
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The main exhibition will attempt to bring together Eros & Cosmos. Under the title OSMOSCOSMOS, it will highlight the link between these two worlds.⁣⁣
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Curator Joerg Bader⁣⁣
Co-curator Alexandra Schüssler⁣⁣
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WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF MORE THAN 100 ARTISTS INCLUDING : NOBUYOSHI ARAKI, RENATE BERTLMANN, NICOLAS CRISPINI, MAURICIO DIAS & WALTER RIEDWEG, CHARLES & RAY EAMES, HANS-PETER FELDMANN, SYLVIE FLEURY, PIERRE KELLER, ARMIN LINKE, LEE LOZANO, URS LÜTHI, MANON, SUSAN MEISELAS, BJØRN MELHUS, BORIS MIKHAILOV , GIANNI MOTTI, JEAN-LUC MOULÈNE, PETER PILLER, WALTER PFEIFFER, THOMAS RUFF, GREGOR SAILER, VIVIANE SASSEN, LINA SCHEYNIUS, JO SPENCE, JULES SPINATSCH, GRAZIA TODERI & ORHAN PAMUK, PATRICK TOSANI, CHRISTIAN WALDVOGEL… AND MANY MORE⁣⁣
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www.50jpg.ch ⁣⁣
www.centrephotogeneve.ch/expo/osmoscosmos/⁣⁣
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EXHIBITION⁣⁣
19.06.2019 - 25.08.2019⁣⁣
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OPENING ⁣⁣
18.06.2019 dès 18:00

The Body Is The Instrument - opening reception and installation views

An absolutely HUGE thank you to everyone who came out Wednesday May 8th to support the opening of The Body Is The Instrument. There were over 250 people in attendance and it was wonderful to see so many friendly faces. Attached below are a selection of installation shots and photographs from the opening reception, thanks to Phuc Le and Maxwell Poth for their contributions here. The benefit exhibition and auction run through May 31st by appointment at TOM House (please call them for a viewing time on 213-250-1685) and online via Paddle8.

The Body Is The Instrument - bid now

The Body Is The instrument auction via Paddle8 goes live 12 noon PST today May 8th and runs until 12 noon PST May 31st. Happy bidding! https://paddle8.com/auction/tom-of-finland