Stuart Sandford is a London-based photographer who captures the male body and it’s many different sexual and cultural connotations. Stuart’s work often has a very raw, organic feel and has formed a portfolio of subjects ranging from the innocence of 80s teen heartthrobs to the cruising grounds of Europe. He is currently preparing for his exhibition entitled Twink at Gallery Daeppen in Basel, Switzerland.
Can you tell us a little bit about your creative work and how it was that you got into it?
What specifically is it about your subject that captivates you? Are your photo sessions simply that, or do they form part of an actual physical experience you have had, or would like to have with the subject? How does your work make you feel, emotionally and physically? How do you deal with critique of your work? What are you up to in 2010?
Well most of my work is somehow related to sex, movies, especially 80s movies, or both, and, because of my love of movies when I was younger, I started acting. Then I became interested in directing and writing. That lead to photography, which I saw as natural extension, but I was never interested in those things technically so instead of doing, say, a photography or film course, I studied fine art and took those interests into a gallery setting.
Hmmm that’s not so easy to pin down. I don’t know where my love of film, TV and the moving image came from but I know I love it and it does captivate me. The sexual element relates to it because, as a teenager, I was watching these films and TV shows that I tend to reference in my work and becoming sexually aware at the same time.
My photo sessions are simply that, although they may be based on experiences I’ve had or want to have. They are more like documents of my fantasy life than my real life and the thing with fantasy is that it’s mostly best left as a fantasy.
It’s funny, I sometimes forget, because I’m exposed to it all the time, how sexual my work is sometimes perceived. It’s certainly not my intention to mindlessly titillate and I’m generally not turned on myself when I’m making it. I love the process of making work however and I do get frustrated when, for what ever reason, I’m unable to make work. I love doing what I do, I just wish more people would buy some so I could go on making it!
What’s your favourite work and what’s your most personal?
My favourite work and my most personal work are the same one and it’s a photograph of this guy that I was dating in 2004. It was pretty much the first photoshoot I ever did and it’s a really fun image of him posing as a muscle man on the bed. He didn’t actually like the image but it means a lot to me, I think it pretty much sums up all my work in that single image.
I think it was Warhol who said that reviews should be measured in weight and not if they are positive or negative. I’m with him.
2010 seems to be shaping up to be a very good and very busy year so far. I just had a group show in Melbourne, have a solo show coming up in Basel, at the end of April, a group show in New York in the summer, then I’m organizing, curating and exhibiting in a group show here in London in September. Added to that a solo show in Krakow, around October time as well as a solo show in Cape Town around November time. It’s all go but I love what I do so I love being busy.
Stuart Sandford - Interview I Am SOHO