“LOVED”: Exploring Masculinity, Sexuality, Joy, Anger and Non-Conforming in the Bear Community.

With LOVED, visual artist Charlie Hunter and sound designer/filmmaker Mike Wyeld collaborate to explore the complexities and differing identities in the bear community. Essentially, LOVED is multi-sensory gallery show that incorporates illustrations, sound installations and sound design to unpack and interrogate themes of masculinity, sexuality, joy, anger, and non-conforming in the sub-culture, which has been evolving for over two decades.

The diverse group of subjects were picked from all over the world and self-identify as members of the bear community. As the gallery note points out: “while myths of beauty and ideas around body shape, fitness, and obesity feature heavily in mainstream culture, there are some people who have found acceptance in new movements, formed new alliances and set in motion new ideas; they are LOVED - and some of those people come out in this exhibition, and from behind closed panels, to assert, proclaim and explain where they are with their difference and their sameness”.

Since the collaborative project’s launch in 2015, it has travelled to galleries in the United States, Estonia, Finland and Canada, to name a few.

The creators are currently working on a book that documents LOVED’s images and interviews.

All images by Charlie Hunter and Mike Wyeld.