Kes Efstathiou (eF-sta-thEE-O) is an emerging artist based in Rochester, New York. His current practice and research grapples with societal perceptions of masculinity, the gender binary, consumption of nature, and humor. Largely influenced by the history of landscape photography and commercial depictions of the outdoor industry, Kes uses a stereotypical western landscape as a backdrop to his disguised self-portraits and still life photographs. In his free time, Kes enjoys exploring both real and fake nature. He earned his MFA in Imaging Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology and his BA in Photography from Montana State University, Bozeman.
from Wear Like Iron, 2019
from Wear Like Iron, 2019
from Maybe Somewhere West
Maybe Somewhere West and Wear Like Iron
Maybe Somewhere West is a photographic installation where a playful landscape is used as a stage to question how the naming of place relates to stereotypes found within the gender binary. Through sourced materials, photographs, and projections I am examining the interchangeable nature of virtual and material consumption of nature, while omitting any specific locale. The nameless landscape becomes an escape as well as a barrier, displaying the complexities of ingrained gender language. The term “namelessness” was inspired by the very small percentage of nameless Alaskan glaciers that are withstanding climate change. I use this metaphor to describe the unmarked purity of both the constructed landscape and the androgynous self.
In a similar vein, Wear Like Iron, 2019 is in-progress work that grapples with societal perceptions of masculinity and my own self-imposed expectations of gender expression. Largely influenced by the outdoor industry, my images use buffalo checkered plaid within the reimagined western landscape to create the “mountain man” stereotype.
These works will be combined and expanded for a two-person exhibition at Gallery Q in Rochester, NY opening September 6, 2019.
from Maybe Somewhere West
from Maybe Somewhere West
from Wear Like Iron, 2019
from Wear Like Iron, 2019
from Wear Like Iron, 2019
To view more of Kes Efstathiou’s work please visit his website.