While American physique photographs emerged as Art in the post-Mapplethorpe 1980s, similar Canadian material has never been the subject of an exhibition. Guest curator Bruce Hugh Russell presents Canadian physique studies from the 1950s to 1960s in the context of a larger history beginning with male nudes produced for artists in the 19th century. The imagery is a record of the history of modern gay identity, marks a shift from an “effeminate” to a “masculine” self-image and traces the physique studio types of the 50s and 60s as the prototype of advertising images of masculinity in the 80s and 90s.

The exhibition is a joint project with Plug In (Winnipeg).