Jeanette May

Jeanette May
Bachelor Pads
A.I.R. Gallery
Brooklyn, NY

February 1-25, 2012


Here is an interesting series by New York photographer Jeanette May inspired by 1960s movies and magazine spreads  highlighting the phenomenon of the “bachelor pad”.  May stages the contemporary bachelor  in his  metropolitan dwelling.  The original bachelor pads were conspicuously heterosexual and masculine in design—filled with the latest gadgets and markers of hedonistic pleasure. Mayʼs  photographs examine whether the  current version evolved or  if  the reel-to-reel sound systems were merely swapped for iPod stations and  large screen TVs.  The pad may define oneʼs economic or cultural standing, provide refuge, or seduce potential lovers. Mayʼs images raise these issues while offering a voyeuristic peek into the private living space of single men. Bachelor Pads furthers Mayʼs investigation into the representation of desirable men and the development of the “female gaze” in contemporary visual cultural. (Her previous project was called Easy On The Eyes) In this recent project, she concentrates on bachelors: unmarried men who do not live with their parents, spouses, or lovers. Her bachelors identify as straight or gay, live alone or with roommates, and cover a range of ages and socio-economic groups. May poses the men in a formal manner; their gaze is never toward the camera, but  they  seem  self-consciously  aware of  an audience.  She produces photographs located somewhere between portraiture and documentary, that allow women (and men) to stare unabashedly at  attractive bachelors and  then visually rifle through their  belongings. May presents her archival pigment prints in a scale  that  enables  us to read the spines of books on the shelves or covet a particularly desirable apartment. What do we learn about these specific bachelors, how do men present themselves to the camera, and does the female viewer take pleasure in the sight?

images are from the series Bachelor Pads by Jeanette May

Jeanette May is a photographer using a critical, sometimes playful, approach to investigate representation itself. May earned her MFA in Photography from CalArts and her BFA in Painting from the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign. She has been awarded grants and fellowships from the NEA Regional Artistsʼ Projects Fund, Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and Ms. Foundation. Her work is exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, including New York; Chicago; Los Angeles; Toronto, Canada; Sandviken, Sweden; and Athens, Greece. May lives in Brooklyn, NY.




Jeanette May  Bachelor Pads

A.I.R. Gallery