It's the school summer holidays and I'm taking a break. So instead of new chats, I'm replaying some of my old favourites!
This is a repeat of episode #11.
In this episode of NeedleXChange I interview John Thomas Paradiso.
John Thomas Paradiso is a Washington-based artist who has been exploring the intimacy of gay culture through needlework for over 30 years.
Using hand embroidered quilting techniques, working on surfaces including leather and suede, and using traditional materials like doilies to mask the graphic parts of his subjects, John’s work treads the line between pornography and personal portraiture. His art is unapologetic in its openness and his expressions of the passion of gay love are both sensitive and sensational.
In our NeedleXChange we talk about how John’s artistic career has run alongside the timeline of the HIV pandemic, the value in re-appropriating homophobic slurs, and how his art has defined his own queer identity.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:38 - John’s award winning piece- The Prince of Pansies
00:07:00 - John’s early photography work
00:10:20 - How John’s work ran alongside the AIDS epidemic
00:13:00 - The current state of HIV & AIDS
00:15:24 - John’s transition into textiles
00:20:24 - The power of pansies
00:22:00 - Reclaiming slurs
00:26:45 - How textiles makes graphic work easier to consume
Links:
Website: john-paradiso.com (http://john-paradiso.com)
Instagram: john_paradiso_artist (https://www.instagram.com/john_paradiso_artist/)
Intro music is Let's Go Find The Sun by Sarah the Illstrumentalist via Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/3403dx) .
About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
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needl.exchange (http://needl.exchange) | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews (https://bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews)
mrxstitch.com (http://mrxstitch.com) | xstitchmag.com (http://xstitchmag.com)
