Surrender to the Allure
A new collection of digital art by Gory Orgy
Surrender to the Allure is a series of artworks preoccupied with super-human bodies – and, in a way, is a response to the gallery visitor who once told me I should try making ‘men’s art’ one day. This may be it.
The chiseled physiques and hyperbolic forms presented in superhero comics and films have transcended mere aspiration, becoming a potent force that shapes the self-image and physical ambitions of many, particularly within the gay male community. In Surrender to the Allure, Gory Orgy experiments with the captivating world of superhero aesthetics and their influence on contemporary bodies.
As heroic body standards are normalised in our entertainment, the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances has surged, reflecting a desire to achieve the fantastical physiques seen on screen. Recent studies show that steroid use among gay men is significantly higher than in the general population, with some reports indicating up to 20% of gay men have used steroids to gain muscle mass. For some the opportunity to body-sculpt is the necessary means of attaining a form more suited to their persona, a way of reconciling their body with their mind.
Gory Orgy’s new media art is crafted through a fusion of original footage, machine-learning models, stable diffusion, and other AI-driven tools. Each piece in Surrender to the Allure is a meditation on the flesh-infatuated nature of contemporary masculine aesthetics, presenting bodies that are in flux and post-human, a concoction of cosmic horror and body horror through the lens of the gay male gaze. These visions are the product of months of work. They are designed for domestic installation on a proportional television screen or digital display.
Hero Reveal
Sweets
The Adventurous
LifeLine
Tryst
Prophecy
Cataclysm
Annex
Substructure
No Superman
Spawn
Metamorphosis
Sentinel
Premonition
Extract
Fugitive
Surrender
Formation
Menace
Succumb
Pursuit Sequence
Audio by Arkitype
Visuals by Gory Orgy
Thank you for viewing Surrender to the Allure. All works can be collected as NFTs by clicking on the individual images, or view the full collection on Foundation HERE.