John Post, a visual artist and doctoral researcher, explains the inspiration behind his latest exhibition as part of LGBT+ History Month in DJCAD.
My work explores how photography shapes the identities of gay and bisexual men. For many, photography isn’t just about capturing images; it is a tool to navigate and affirm sexuality. One of the central themes I investigate is cruising, the act of seeking intimacy with strangers – a key ritual for many in the queer community. With the increased usage and development of smartphones and personal photography, cruising and photography have become intertwined, where the act of connecting is both public and private, voyeuristic and exhibitionist.
On one hand, the freedom and safety to easily explore one’s sexuality from the palm of your hand has greatly benefitted a multitude of men across the globe, enabling self-acceptance by connecting with others that have a shared experience and desire. Yet, this constant exchange of photography has led to an important cultural shift. The now ubiquitous self-made image can overshadow meaningful connection, resulting in an increased sense of photographic numbness. The ‘pic for pic’ and ‘no pic no chat’ modalities driven by algorithms designed to keep you online reduces the making and sharing of a photograph to a transactional experience. The sustained digital commodification of the male body has made many photographs feel detached, devoid of any emotional resonance that once defined intimate moments. Looking has become more about consuming rather than seeing – and that is where my work interjects.
On show through February 2025 as part of LGBT+ History Month at DJCAD’s new ‘Back Alley Gallery’ exhibition space, my first solo photography exhibition, Cruising for Another Picture, is born from a shared cruising experience between photographer, subject, and viewer. Through the gaze of my own lens, it is a recapturing of the men I have cruised for, and a visual transformation of the dual performative identity forged from being online, the public voyeur and the private exhibitionist.
A resistive act, Cruising for Another Picture challenges photographic indifference by focussing on both body and soul. Moving beyond the fleeting nature of desire, the work aims to restore a sexual empathy within the queer male photograph – reconnecting the act of looking with seeing and seeing with feeling. See the University events page for more detail.
About John
In parallel to his work as a biologist at the University of Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit, John Post is in the final year of his PhD research at the Belfast School of Art. His work investigates the dynamism between the constructs of Einfühlung, feeling inwards, and Zufühlung, looking towards, with a specific focus on how gay and bisexual men use the medium to navigate and affirm their sexuality.
Holding an MFA in photography, John has exhibited widely across the UK, with notable showcases at the Royal Photographic Society, Getty Images, the Scottish Arts Club, and Belfast Exposed. John’s background as a biologist informs both his photographic practice and academic research, creating a unique multidisciplinary perspective on the role of visual culture in identity formation.
More of his work can be seen on his website or on his Instagram.