Mikel Marton’s photography first caught my eye over a year ago on the ever-expanding social networking site DList. Perhaps it had something to do with his unabashed eroticism that elevated the male form beyond both the traditional nude and pornography. The Montreal-based artist has shown his work here in NYC with the Envoy Gallery and continues to busy himself with a wide variety of projects, both behind the lens and elsewhere. His strong aesthetic and unique vision recently earned him well-deserved recognition in David Leddick’s new book The Nude Male: 21st Century Visions (we’ll give you a peek inside shortly). Let’s dig a little deeper into his work as we shine the spotlight this week on Mikel.
S: Thanks for taking the time to chat. It’s interesting to dig into the story behind the artist, so let’s start off by you telling us about the first time you picked up a camera and knew you wanted to be a photographer.
MM: I’ve always been creating things since I was very young, and using visuals with highly sexualized content, as far back as I can remember. I was more so interested in illustration and painting, back then. Photography was too realistic of a medium for me, and as an escapist, naturally, I wanted to escape that and create my own debaucherous reality. Finally, when I had private access to a professional camera through class, and started to turn the lens on myself (and later, on other subjects) in an erotic context, everything changed for me. I was probably 16, and somehow I had opened up a world where I could literally show you what I imagine without the imperfect lines of my paintings. It really settled in a few years later during my first year in college, and I dropped out to pursue it. Up until then I was going to be a screen-writer, or a sex therapist.
S: When and why did you decide that you were going to focus on male nude photography for your portfolio?
MM: Well, it started with self-portraits, when I was far too young to be taking self-made erotica, and eventually it developed from there. Erotica as activism really appealed to me, especially regarding de-demonizing the male body. I could do something for “the cause” and satisfy my own exhibitionism, but I also found out that I could do so much more using other models, as well. The further I explored, the more I realized that the process really satisfied me. I enjoyed meeting the models, undressing them and turning them into characters of my own twisted psycho-sexuality. It’s become kind of an obsession.
S: Unlike a lot of photographers who shoot nudes, you model for a lot of your own work. How do you think this influences your approach to nude photography as a whole?
MM: Entirely backwards. I take the poison first. I think my comfort inspires others, potential models and fans alike. It’s kind of a fearless approach, I like to test what I can get away with. In this case, I use my body as a vehicle for my creative sexuality just as I use the bodies of others. It’s very natural to me, I wouldn’t do it another way.
WARNING: NSFW IMAGES CONTINUED AFTER THE JUMP.