The Art Of Hooking Up

From:  Queerty

 Perception versus reality: when it comes to the world of online dating — or more accurately, online hooking-up — one can often be vastly different than the other. With only a handful of pictures and words to get your message across and no real accountability, is it any wonder we live in the age of Catfish?

Through a series of portraits, artist Sean Fader explores the casual relationships gay men have with each other and the truth in his new exhibit, Sup?

From the artist:

Sup? Is a lived performance piece.  For 365 days I trolled online dating and hookup websites looking for men who interested me.  I looked at their profile and pre-visualized a portrait of who I thought they might be.  Then I contacted them and asked them out on a date. The date consisted of arriving at their home (never having met them in person)  pouring them a glass of wine, and photographing them immediately. I directed them to enact my preconceived ideas of who I imagined them to be.  After our shoot, I took them out on a date.  This allowed me to consider how I might alter my first portrait of them.   After our date, we collaborated on creating an image that we both felt represented them.

Fader’s work is part of the Denny Gallery’s The Participants exhibit in New York, through July 21.