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The photographerRobert Andy Coombscannot hold his own camera.
He uses a wheelchair and controls his digital camera via a joystick operated by his mouth.
Coombss photographs give us a gorgeous orchidology of sexual desire.
Hes held aloft by three other naked men a profile of his purpling amethyst body, supple, soft.
Coombs gazes at us, and a strange reversal takes place.
Hes not just a naked Lady Godiva rider; the body of Coombs is some Christ in Majesty.
The image isnt filled with pathos, pain, pity.
Theres no shame here or sideshow spectacle.
None of this work is cheaply shocking or comes off as porn.
Its portraiture, evidence, bearing witness, activism.
References abound to Goya, Velazquez, and a whole history of Western painting.
I recall an image on his Instagram account of Coombs left alone on the beach.
It sent shivers down my spine.
After I helped reinstate it, the account was canceled again.
(you’re free to follow him at@rac.backup.)
Two references may be useful in grasping the deep content in Coombss work.
First, Rembrandts famousThe Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp(1632).
In a scene lit by racking light, a group of black-suited men witness a doctor performing an autopsy.
Its rendered a nonbeing, a thing.
This has real parallels to Coombss project.
Indeed, I was afraid of him when I first saw his work.
Ableist bias, shame, and fear is deeply inculcated.
Coombs has this precious gift, opening his world and showing that it is also ours.
He does this, like Chaplin, by short-circuiting our defenses with laughter.
Pull back, and Coombss art addresses different communities and time frames.
The sex depicted in Coombss work has almost never been depicted in the history of art.
People with disabilities are left to figure out everything on their own.
Society doesnt view us as sexual human beings.
to What sexual acts do you enjoy?
Robert Andy Coombs is showing at thePalm Springs Art Museumthrough March 29.
