Act I: The Fall of Man, 2019 Archival pigment print on baryta paper, antique Catholic last rites box 13 x 23 inches
Steve is a photographic triptych, titled after the conservative Christian slogan, “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Oluseye stages Biblical themes and juxtaposes them with processes of reconciliation: Act I: The Fall of Man (The Sin); Act II: Act of Contrition (Shame), Act III: The Revelation (Self-acceptance). Steve brings together Catholic iconography, theatre references, and the abundance of Eden. In this imagined space, Oluseye positions himself as both subject and object; an introspective gesture in which he contemplates the impact of race, gender, orthodox beliefs, and heteronormativity on the collective psyche of queer Black men.
Steve, Act II: Act of Contrition, 2019 Archival pigment print on baryta paper, antique vanity box 13 x 21 inches
Steve, Act III: Revelations, 2019 Archival pigment print on baryta paper, antique frame 10 x 14 inches