Sam Wingate

Pardon Rug considers older men who have recently received a pardon from the British government for convictions held for homosexual acts that would no longer stand today.  The form of a rug provides a metaphor for something that is walked over and that problems are swept under.

London Cottage is a broken, illustrated narrative that documents wordless language used within Cottaging (the act of men seeking sexual connections with other men in public toilets).  It gives a window into a world which to many goes unnoticed.  

Grindr Quilt considers behaviours that are inherited - somehow passed down through generations where intergenerational connections rarely exist.  It draws parallels between Cottaging and Grindr, whilst recognising Grindr is embedded in the domestic.

It builds on my series Grindr Drawings, an archive of images men share on gay networking app Grindr.  Loose and speedy drawing spares the individual identity of each subject. The drawing unifies the appearance of the images - it gives them a collective identity, affirming their common source.  The drawings are made from photographs without meeting the subjects in person, however each is given a brief moment of intimacy, reflective of the many connections formed on Grindr each day.