Kevin Bennett Moore

Kevin Bennett Moore (b. 1996) is a recent graduate with Departmental Honors from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (BFA ‘20). The Boston-based photographer chooses to work with self-portraiture in order to discuss his own experiences translated through historically inspired fabrications. Aiming to relay queerness on camera, he interprets intuitive ideas into narrative stills by setting up scenarios that allow him to speak freely without interruption. Moore is influenced greatly by gender performativity and films, ideals of mid-century American culture, what goes into creating a set, and how far he can transport the viewer.

Inspired by film and societal constructs of femininity, my work is an exploration on the formation of character, narrative, and identity. Drawing inspiration from domestic space, I construct each image in order to direct my own narrative. These photographs are a world created to speak freely without interruption. By utilizing the past--both historic and cultural references--I am able to juxtapose queer existence with classic Americana. Although my work is made up predominantly of self-portraits, my goal is for viewers to consider their own responses to queerness as they see it. By applying my own identity and queer experience, I hope to engage the viewer in an unfamiliar set of circumstances. The photographs ask: can we live comfortably outside the norm? How does this character challenge the societal ideas of masculinity? Driven by emotion and intuition, I utilize melodrama to discuss ideas of visibility and invisibility, what is acknowledged, and what is not-- questions that remain relevant in today’s politics.
-Kevin Bennett Moore