ArtCrush: Ben Youdan
We go behind-the-scenes with the visual artist from Liverpool.
Based in Liverpool, Ben Youdan is a visual artist who specialises in exploring the sexuality of men.
We caught up with Ben to talk about his Unsafe Space project.
What issue of the Unsafe Space zine are you up to?
We just sold out our second book!
The first, based primarily around cruising outdoors, proved to be really popular, with a successful launch in Liverpool. Then our second, based around the dom/sub experience, was launched in Manchester, followed by another event in Liverpool.
Dom/Sub found its way to places as varied as Blackpool, Australia and Saudi Arabia!
So both books have spread our filth all over the world.
What's the response been like from your readers?
The response has been overwhelming!
We’ve had everything from people talking about how it inspired them to go cruising, to people sending us ‘visual reviews’ which are essentially videos and photographs of them wanking and cumming to our dirty little book!
Immersing yourself in the world of cruising and documenting in this way - has that evolved or shaped your perception or understanding of this type of sexual encounter?
It started as a way of documenting something we were doing anyway, so it felt like a natural progression.
When cruising you often end up collecting stories – from reading body language to post-coital chats in the long grass. So it felt right to document these stories and create a shared experience with our readers.
There have been some surprises along the way too. We thought it would be hot, horny and arousing – and it has been – but beyond that we’ve managed to share stories that are intimate, moving and even profound in their simplicity.
In a way, it has deepened our understanding of how important these hook-ups can be, in addition to how queer people can re-appropriate an ‘Unsafe Space’ to find connection.
What are some of the challenges in creating a zine about cruising?
One of the best - and most fun - challenges has been the sheer volume of material, and working out how to cram everything in, so to speak.
What started out as an idea to create a zine has evolved into something else.
We’ve taken the zine template, in that all the source materials were collated in an analog, handmade style, but what we have ended up with is a slightly more polished series of books. They sit somewhere between a grubby porn mag you’d find beside the train tracks, and a glossy cock-filled coffee table book.
What next for Unsafe Space?
We are already embarking on creating the third volume which will be available to buy later in the year. The long term goal is to create an anthology of filth that covers a wide variety of sexual identities, practices and fetishes.
Ben Youdan on How To Date Men
For our podcast, How To Date Men, Ben explains why he is documenting the sexual experiences of queer men.
Ben Youdan on Naked Men Talking
For the Naked Men Talking podcast, we caught up with Ben for a behind-the-scenes look at his work.
In the conversation, we talk exhibitionism, normalising our bodies, and how to capture the energy of a kink encounter through art.
The NSFW edition
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