Caroline May, Male Imperatives, Camberwell Space, London. 17 January - 7 March 2020

Written by: Issey Scott a freelance art writer and SouthEast15 contributor

With lots of talk (and sadly "debate") about gender in the art world, closely mirroring the real world, of course, I was initially hesitant about an exhibition about "the female gaze" and "the performance of masculinity", which are some buzzwords found in the press release of Athens-based artist Caroline May's solo exhibition at Camberwell Space. However, two points of interest sprouted from my experience of the show and subsequent revisiting of the press release: firstly, why am I so vexed by talk of the gaze? If we can momentarily cast aside the patriarchy and its rooting in the word, in times of ubiquitous social media, we can be fooled into thinking we now have more control over how we are perceived; of course, this is naïve nonsense. Secondly, the artist's use of nature in her narrative surrounding gender is a stunning element that I took away from the exhibition, something I found to be hugely intriguing, almost meditative. 

Camberwell Space is part of Camberwell College of Arts, which may be off-putting to some due to the fact that you have to be given a visitor pass at reception, but it is actually a lovely bright space and gains extra points from me for being accessible to the public with its large windows looking out onto the busy Peckham Road. Unlike some of the exhibitions at the gallery, 'Male Imperatives' may not coax in guests the way that a more Instagrammable show might, however, the notably slow pace of the show allows for real-time for reflection, which is important as May's work is not totally explicit.

In the same way that many would feel uncomfortable with a cisgender man concentrating a whole exhibition on femininity or womanhood, initially, I was rather confused about May's motives for "exploring the performance of masculinity", as critiques of “toxic masculinity” are difficult to convey in visual culture. I now see it as a process of research and exploration, as investigating gender and sexuality can be gently observed from different angles. 

The show's first series, 'The Ramble' is an interesting and, again, highly contemplative set of two photographs whereby the subject is not named but posed in a way that is both homoerotic and sensitive. An accompanying press release discusses May's exploration into the medium of photography and how it is used to "impose and institutionalise definitions of gender, identity and social behaviour"; it is quite difficult to identify this directly in some of the works, but the artist's references to fashion editorials aren't missed, as many of the works including 'The Ramble' series would fit neatly in a magazine.

Having the model immersed in nature is powerful, not least in the setting of viewing the works in Camberwell, a very busy part of south London. May's exploration of "the social and cultural construction of gender" is particularly touching, as we think about how sexuality is discriminated against through cultural and social prejudices. A doctored photographic series whereby facial features have been removed so that there is no gaze in either direction is violent in its message of how gender is identified, so can, therefore, be stripped. When we are in nature, fauna does not judge us, does not care how or who we love; we can feel held in nature. The exhibition has a calming effect, and its isolation in a white wall encasement makes the outside world feel like a loud shock to the system. Personally I came full circle in terms of thinking about the gaze; I hated it all over again and wanted to retreat back to the peace and tranquillity of May’s work, where all identities were as free and fluid as the air, sun, sand and sky. 

Written by Issey Scott

Issey Scott is a freelance art writer based in south-east London. Her writing on art, culture and architecture has appeared in a range of publications including Candid Magazine, RIBA, The Big Issue, South East London Journal, LOBBY, Floorr and GDC Interiors Journal. She has also had essays published in exhibitions at Castor Projects and Seager Gallery.

She also blogs regularly about London's art scene at letsmakelotsofmonet.com