John P. Phillips
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John Patrick Phillips (born 1961) is a Canadian photographer known for his work in fashion, portraiture, and the gay erotica industry. His career spans several decades and includes collaborations with renowned fashion designers, musicians, and adult magazines.
Personal Life and Career[edit]
In the early 1980s, Phillips began his career by photographing fashion shows and Club Kids in London. In 1990, he moved from Canada to Los Angeles where he worked for Advocate Men, a magazine published by Liberation.[1]
He was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 at the age of 27.[2]
His earlier body of work is now noted as a historical documentation of London in the 1980s, Phillips says “the greatest legacy a photographer can hope for is to capture a moment in time that gives future generations a better understanding of that time”.[1] In his work, Phillips aims to aestheticize and beautify his models, incorporating sublimity into the erotic.[3]
The first major show photographed by Phillips was Vivienne Westwood's 1981 show “Nostalgia of Mud”. Phillips snuck into the show with a fake invite and met a photographer from British Vogue who later hired him, and Phillips worked for British Vogue for three years. His works from a pre-AIDS time in London include performances at Heaven, a gay club, by William S. Burroughs and Grace Jones.[1]
In the 1980s-90s, Phillips’ photographs became a new form of escapism, empowerment, and hope within the gay community amidst the threat of AIDS. His photography maintained the beauty of the nude male form and shifted the perspective on homosexuality away from the mainstream stigmatization.[4]
His work has been featured on the 1993, 1995, and 1996 covers of HX, a gay nightlife magazine, the June 1988 cover of Photo Life, Candi, MEAT, The Edge, Frontiers along with the back cover artist's portrait of Marianne Williamson's on her book: A Woman's Worth. Additionally, his work was shown in mainly gay erotic publications such as Advocate Men, Mandate, Torso, Physique Pictorial & Playgirl in the 1990s.[5]
His series of casting call polaroids – all portraits of potential male models for erotic publications shot in New York City and Los Angeles in the 90s – show nude men of every ethnicity, race, shape, and size, and he considers them a time capsule of the era. While he did not initially view this work as art, he never threw away a single polaroid and he now views the collection as an outsider art perspective on eroticism in New York and LA in the 90s.[1]
NFT work[edit]
His series, Stronger Than We Know minted in 2021, is inspired by words of encouragement from a nurse while undergoing treatment for his cancer.[6]
Foundation[edit]
The John Phillips Foundation is dedicated to the preservation of LGBTQ2+ photography. The Foundation has a yearly scholarship program for LGBTQ2+ homeless youth that provides $15,000 for rent, essential living supplies, and a camera to document their life – the images are exhibited to showcase the scholarship's influence. Phillips notes that “This scholarship symbolizes the faith many had in me, offering me a leg up when I was hopeless” and believes that the opportunity to positively change the trajectory of one's life is a great honor."[4]
Publication[edit]
- Photoerotic (2001, ISBN 978-1890377175)
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 “Interview - Bob Mizner Foundation.” Physical Pictoral 58 (Autumn 2021). https://store.bobmizerfoundation.org/products/physique-pictorial-volume-58.
- ↑ “DARE.” Accessed November 14, 2023. https://app.manifold.xyz/c/John-Phillips-Dare-Edition11.
- ↑ Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation. “A Photographer's Tale: A Group Show Including the Work of John Phillips [Press Release],” December 10, 1998.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Foundation, John Phillips. “John Phillips Foundation.” John Phillips Foundation. Accessed November 14, 2023. https://johnphillipsfoundation.com/.
- ↑ http://www.functionthemes.com, Michal Opalski (www plot29 com) &. “Collection of Male Casting Call Digital Photos of Original Polaroids 1990's.” Accessed November 14, 2023. https://guyberube.com/collection-of-male-polaroids-1990s/.
- ↑ “Stronger Than We Know; Flying Angel | Foundation.” Accessed November 14, 2023. https://foundation.app/@JohnPhillipsPhotography/foundation/103534.
External links[edit]
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