NYAB Event - Kit Kittle “Roughnecks and Drag Queens”

Kit Kittle “Roughnecks and Drag Queens”

Joseph Gross Gallery

This event has ended.

ArtNowNY presents Roughnecks and Drag Queens, a photography exhibition of photojournalist Kit Kittle’s work from the 1980s that explores and illuminates the since diminished extremes of American manhood and masculinity. Taken from his 1989 book Roughnecks and from his currently unpublished collection, these 30 photos display the stark contrast between historical male archetypes during a turbulent time in American history.

Roughnecks were the industrial cowboys of the 1980s who manned oil riggers in the rural communities of Alaska, East Texas and Louisiana, where drilling for oil was the economic lifeline of these otherwise described “drive thru towns.” Known for their hard drinking, whoring, and a crude yet endearing sense of humor amidst the dangerous conditions and hard manual labor called for by the job, these workers provide a vivid portrait of the machismo working man persona that peaked in the mid eighties, before dependence on foreign oil became more prevalent.

Alternatively, drag queens are the embodiment of theatrics, grandiosity, and liveliness – the innately feminine qualities found within the male spectrum. Their natural exuberance, one of many components integral to their performative personalities, was only heightened by the presence of Kittle’s camera. When approached, they would assume extravagant poses and playfully flirt with both him and the camera, thereby creating spontaneous, urban performances in the streets, bars, and clubs of Greenwich Village. This was before the AIDS epidemic, when colorful, carefree expression — not the fight for health, compassion, and answers — was their topmost priority.

Photographed on a Canon F1 and Kodachrome 25 on 64 film, this series of 30 framed, color prints is a collision of American history and male archetypes, providing a snapshot of a bygone culture and time with striking polarity. While none of these images have been previously exhibited, People Magazine originally hailed Kittle’s work in his book Roughnecks as “full of pungent, unexpected pleasure and insight” upon its release in 1985. Now, nearly three decades later, Kittle’s work comes together with reinvigorated passion and insight, culminating in a wild display of sexual, socio-economical contrariety within declining sects of masculinity.

About Kit Kittle:
Kit Kittle is an award winning photographer and film director. A Manhattan native, Kittle was a page in the U.S. Senate. He studied philosophy at Benares Hindu University in India and worked as a surveyor’s assistant in the Alaskan arctic before becoming a freelance photographer.

Kittle’s photography first appeared in Ways to Shiva, published by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1981. He has worked all over the world, including a two-month stint in Antarctica for Life magazine. His work has appeared in Time, National Geographic Traveler, Outside, Smithsonian and the New York Times, among many others. Kittle directed his first travel film in the Caribbean in 1991. Since then, he has directed dozens of TV commercials for sports companies and the tourist boards of China, Ireland, Venezuela, and British Columbia. Kittle’s first book, Roughnecks, was published in 1985 and his second book, Enlightenment, will be published in the summer of 2014.