Collette Blanchard Gallery is pleased to present Sarah Baley’s Bois, which will be on view from May 7th through June 17th, 2009.

Through a series of photographs, Baley explores sexuality and gender definitions while specifically highlighting a community called “Bois”. Cinematic images of “Bois” dressed in fashions ranging from blue-collar to school boy aesthetic are juxtaposed with photographs of a changing industrial urban landscape in stages of decay and redevelopment.

Through lighting and subject placement, Baley makes the viewers aware that they are observing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the “Bois” community. The artist places the “Bois” in the foreground of the frame, either gazing directly at the artist/viewers, as in Jasper and Little Prince, or in an intimate pose (e.g. embracing, kissing, in thought) or setting (e.g. bedroom), as in Left Wing, Bed Peace and Kiss. Baley also makes the “Bois” the main focus through the use of lighting; backgrounds blend into darkened masses while the “Bois” are well-lit at the foreground. Through these techniques, Baley brings sub-culture from the periphery to center stage.

For the artist, the urban landscape, reflected in the rapid development in Red Hook, Brooklyn, functions as a metaphor, or mirror, for a fluid, transforming definition of sexuality and gender at the heart of the “Bois” community. Many of the “Bois” are non-conformists that reject gender as a binary system of male or female. Through Baley’s photographs, the artist portrays sexuality and gender as more fluid than a two-part system. According to the artist, “Sexuality is prismatic. It is the full spectrum of color…one of the few ways we can still express freedom.”

Sarah Baley lives and works in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Baley received her B.F.A in photography at the Art Center College of Design in California. Recently, the Brooklyn Museum acquired Baley’s Dug (2005) for their permanent collection. In August 2009, the work will be on display in the museum’s American Identities Galleries.