GIO BLACK PETER

“I’m here, I’m queer I have a big dick- deal with it.” Artists among artists – The first time an artist has interviewed an artist for the blog. Give a warm welcome and look at the works of Gio Black Peter, who chatted with Stuart Sandford for Pineapple. Cover picture: 3 Birds.

Stuart Sandford (SS): Hey Gio how are you? It’s been too long! I think the last time we saw each other was probably at Tom of Finland in 2019, pre-pandemic.

Gio Black Peter (GBP): I’m still alive and I still look good. That’s a joke. It’s actually what came out of my mouth one time while drunk at a New Year’s eve party where I ran into a friend whom I hadn’t seen in years. Yes, it’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. I believe that Summer at Tom’s house was the last Summer before the world went to hell. I’m happy I got to spend some time with you and Florian Hetz, Aurelien Arras and the Tom of Finland family in sunny LA. I miss waking up at Tom’s house and taking my morning boner strolls through the Pleasure Garden. I imagine the roses grew 3 times bigger that summer. Not to mention all the fun that was had in the sugar shack which I coined the cum shack for obvious reasons.

Portrait of Gio Black Peter by Yuki James @yukijames

SS: How was the pandemic for you? Did you find you could continue to create easily enough? From the works you’ve sent me and what I see online it looks like you’ve been super busy.

GBP: The pandemic was a super strange time for me, as I’m sure it was for all of us. I spent the first Covid Summer working on a commissioned painting-so I was too preoccupied with my work to notice the world melting behind me. I found myself not wanting to finish the painting because deep down I knew finishing it would mean having to face the reality of what was going on. At the time I had just become single and I was practically living full time in my art studio which was located in a non-residential part of NYC. Which meant I was cut off from people on top of already being cut off due to being quarantined on top of being cut off emotionally because I had just become single. But like most situations there was a silver lining-and that was that I got to reconnect with myself. It was reminiscent of my childhood as a weirdo loner who spent all his time drawing. Which is how I got “good” at art.

SS: Tell me about this mural and live exhibition of new works featuring some of your heroes. There’s Marsha P Johnson, James Baldwin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, amongst others. Why those people? What do they mean to you? And what does hero mean to you?

GBP: The mural was commissioned by New York Live Arts which is Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane’s art center/ organization. I’ve titled it “Fire in the Night; a Celebration of Queer Tenacity”. It features the portraits of 7 people who I consider beacons of light and in my opinion are fighters/ warriors-each in their own way. I prefer the word warrior to hero, the difference being that a hero doesn’t necessarily have opposition. Whereas a trans person or a queer person most likely has had to fight just to exist. To be a fire in the night or a light in the darkness you need tenacity and that is the underlying connection of the 7 people I am celebrating and honoring in these works. The mural will be up at New York Live Arts until August.

SS: Whilst we’re here can you say a bit more about the subway map paintings? I’ve always loved them. How did they get started?

GBP: Thank you. I made the first subway map paintings in 2007 for an exhibition in Norway. They were mostly self portraits and were commentary on territory and identity. Being from New York it only made sense to use a NYC Subway map. I love how the lines of the map become the veins and “insides” of the figure. So much of who I am has been informed by living in New York. The people featured in the mural have also lived in NYC at some point with the exception of Journey- who will be moving to NYC next year.

SS: I love that you’re celebrating folk that are both icons within the community and also those that represent the next generation. It’s extremely important to amplify their voices. For example, Journey Forrester Streams who might not be known to that many people. Can you introduce Journey to us?

GBP: I wanted the mural to highlight the lineage of queer aritsts and activists from the past like James Baldwin and Marsha P Johnson, to artists in the present like; Urvashi Vaid and Felix Gonzalez-Torres (though they are no longer with us), Amanda Lepore, Ceyenne Doroshow ( who founded G.L.I.T.S ) and the future next generation like Journey. Journey just graduated college and is already working with the non-profit organization BOFFO, who are responsible for giving artists of color residencies in Fire Island. I wanted to honor our queer elders who fought for us to have the rights we have now as well as connect the generations within our queer family.

SS: You’re also working on some new paintings for a solo show right? Later in the year? I saw one of them and it’s really great, I love the scale of these large paintings. Can you tell me a bit about the concept behind the works? It’s folk finding their way through the wilderness right? What wilderness are you finding yourself through?

GBP: That’s right, thank you. Originally I was going to have an exhibition in Europe this July but those plans fell through so now I will be spending my summer in NY painting. My new paintings which I consider both figurative and abstract depict figures making their way through lush landscapes. Making art has always helped me make sense of the world and has been how I find my way out of the chaos, the wilderness-so these paintings are a visual representation of that process.

SS: Oh I just started following your @creamiecocopuff instagram account. It’s super hot. I know you’ve been censored and deleted from IG like 11 times so is this a backup account like a lot of people have or something different? Oh and you’re making a book of it right?

GBP: The funny part is that it was originally supposed to be a backup account in case my 11th account: @gioblackpeter11 got deactivated. Then I started posting all my horny adventures and I quickly found it extremely enjoyable (even if posting meant having to censor the photos). Eventually I will turn this insta into a limited edition, uncensored book. I think as queers it’s important that we live in the open and show our authentic selves. For me, sharing these intimate moments is a way of celebrating queer sex and sexuality and reclaiming a space that was orignally carved out for heterosexuals. I’m here, I’m queer I have a big dick- deal with it.

Thank you Gio & Stuart!