Desire
and disgust
“If you introduce the human figure
you at once arouse either
disgust or desire.”
Quotation from Maurice by E.M. Forster (written 1913, pub 1971, p.94)
This series explores the co-existing duality of internalised and externalised desire and disgust in male-male relationships. The artworks are founded in my lived experience, inspired by historical and contemporary literature which features gay male intimacy, and realised through material experimentation with metal as the continuous component.
The literature on which I focus includes five novels ranging from 1913 to 2025, including: E.M. Forster’s “Maurice” (written 1913-14, published 1971); James Baldwin’s "Giovanni's Room" (1956); André Aciman’s "Enigma Variations" (2017); Tomasz Jedrowski’s "Swimming in the dark" (2020); and Ocean Vuong’s “The Emperor of Gladness” (2025).
From these novels, the most pertinent quote for this series exists within E.M. Forster's Maurice: “If you introduce the human figure you at once arouse either disgust or desire” (p.94).
An island called okayness
Ink on paper using acid-etched copper plates
Limited edition of 5 | 45cm x 41cm
This artwork was inspired by a quote from Ocean Vuong’s (2025) The Emperor of Gladness:
"That a boy beside a boy could form an island called "okayness.""
Deconstructing my protectors
Dry pastel and self-produced pastel stick (linseed oil, beeswax from my hives, copper and iron residue as a waste product of my printmaking copper plate etching process) on pastel card
56cm x 76cm
This artwork was inspired by a quote from James Baldwin’s (1956) Giovanni's Room:
"I long to crack that mirror and be free. I look at my sex, my troubling sex, and wonder how it can be redeemed, how I can save it from the knife."
The struggle
Solid silver and bronze on gesso-coated wood board
31cm x 41cm
This artwork was inspired by a quote from E.M. Forster’s (written 1913, published 1971) Maurice:
"That influence, even if exerted, would have failed, for a relation such as theirs cannot break without transforming both men for ever."
Place of worship
Hand engraving on mild steel
10cm x 50cm
Inspired by a quote from Tomasz Jedrowski’s (2020) Swimming in the Dark:
"I had found my place on your sandstone body — between your thighs and the mounds of your nipples, in the cave of your armpits. The geography of you was suddenly as clear as that of the city, skin warmed like the bricks of the tenement houses, the lines of your body like the straight and unbroken lines of the avenues, of the tram tracks and the stiff metal barriers that threw criss-crossed shadows on to the streets. The same barriers that appeared stable but could move under your weight, creaking when you leant on them for too long, threatening to release you on to the busy car-ridden tar."
Transfiguration
Monoprint of ink on paper
25cm x 25cm
This artwork was inspired by a quote from E.M. Forster’s (written 1913, published 1971) Maurice:
"He had lost the precocious clearness of the child which transfigures and explains the universe, offering answers of miraculous insight and beauty."
Passage
Print of ink using acid-etched copper
Limited edition of 5 | 36cm x 34cm
As the man attempts to wash away his past,
so too do the prints themselves each fade as
the series progresses
The artwork was inspired by a quote in Ocean Vuong’s novel The Emperor of Gladness (2025): “To discard is to move on”
The figurative depiction pays homage to Bruce Weber’s (1985) photograph titled “Man, Palm Beach”
Passage (monoprint)
Monoprint using acid-etched copper and hand-coloured using mixed dry media
40cm x 40cm
Process
Etched copper plate one
Printing plates design
Etched copper plate two
This monoprint was created to plan the print series (limited edition of 5) which is also displayed on this page
Hear about the research, ideation and creation process on the Artwork deep-dive page
What we hold
Monoprint of ink on paper
8cm x 15cm
The artwork was inspired by a quote in Ocean Vuong’s novel The Emperor of Gladness (2025): “I don’t think we’re made to hold too much of any one thing.”
