Tuckery, 2020-Ongoing
‘Tuckery’ is a body of work consisting of photography and testimony. It surveys straight and LGBTQIA+ individuals who were assigned male at birth. Exploring their relationship to tucking—the act of pulling male genitals behind one’s back, behind their legs, or held up inside the abdominal cavity and taped in place to create a new ‘aesthetic’ genital architecture. As a child, roughly five or six, I would often tuck my genitals behind my legs and imagine myself as a different person; a different gender, and rather enjoyed discovering this new blank space, a space where a penis once interrupted. I realized I wanted to explore further what this action really meant to me and what this could possibly mean for other curious male-bodied individuals regardless of their personal gender identities.
Through photographing straight, bi-sexual, and gay male-bodied individuals regarding this tucking practice, most individuals divulged this was also a part of their 'male' adolescent experience in figuring themselves out in the physical as well as negotiating their 'maleness' behind closed doors. Tuckery began as a personal recollection and re-creation of muscle memory, recording the intimate and personal experience of tucking, which I soon understood was incredibly common, yet never discussed. When asked about tucking, most individuals expressed how this was also a part of their ‘male’ adolescent experience in figuring themselves out in their physical evolution.
©Julian DuFour 2024