James Unsworth

I make work about fat queer bodies. I research the print history of girth and mirth organisations and early bear culture to use as source material, either as compositions for drawings or raw materials for collage. As well as using archive materials I use contemporary models to insert fat queer bodies into art history. I explore the intermingling of queer, print and art history and the connections/contrasts that exist between the past and present, questioning current ideas around beauty, sex, masculinity and gender. I introduce audiences to aspects of queer culture they may not have been exposed to.

James Unsworth, Bulk Male Flower Collages, James Unsworth, 2021, © James Unsworth

In 2017 I made a series of collages from Bulk Male magazines and books about flowers. This publication collects the whole series of 59 collages together for the first time. Including a text about the series by Jason Whitesel, Ph.D. Author of Fat Gay Men: Girth, Mirth, and the Politics of Stigma.

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James Unsworth, Ancient Greek Ceramic Plate Drawings, James Unsworth, 2021, © James Unsworth

In 2019 I made a drawing a week based on Ancient Greek ceramics from room 20a in the British Museum and contemporary models sourced through Instagram.

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A collection of 60 sticker designs referencing late 80’s to mid 90’s skateboard graphics, sexy fat men and some other 80’s/90’s references.

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