Baby boy
is a multi disciplinary exhibition that explores leather identity, culture, and sexual expression. Artist Donald C. Shorter Jr., who identifies as a leather boy, wanted to create works that focused on the lived experience of the submissive. Three original works dive deep into the world of Daddy/boy power exchange relationships and BDSM. It unfolds in three parts which include photography, film, and theatre performance.
“Yes, I want people to be turned on by the images I’ve created but I have also been intentional about prioritizing the humanity of my subjects.”
During my time as an artist in residence at the Tom of Finland Foundation I had the opportunity to research the works of those considered legends in the homo erotic genre. Visual artists such as Tom of Finald, Rex, Hun, and Domino became sources of inspiration. As a theater maker and performance artist I am connected to the human form in a different way. I work with the body in real time and I allow it to inform me of it’s challenges and possibilities. I accept the body as it is, rather than creating something that it is not.
Fantasy is a crucial element to the homo erotic genre and I wanted to work against that. My goal was to feature real people existing as themselves.
boys is a short documentary that features leather boys giving personal accounts of how this form of identity has lead to a spiritual awakening and radical self acceptance. I wanted to show that we boys can have a sense of pride in who we are as submissives despite what society says a man should be.
Producer/Director/Cinematographer/Editor: Donald C. Shorter Jr.
Featuring: boy Cole, boy Donald, boy Mikey, boy Nick, Edward Joseph, LTHR Pipe Daddy, Darqkwolf, Ty David Lerman
untitled photography series by Benjamin Fredrickson
Power exchange is what I find most intriguing about leather sex. Both parties consent to someone submitting and another dominating. This act of alchemy is unique and offers something that can’t happen in vanilla sex. In its highest polarity the two become a union.
There are several Dom/sub relationships and the one that I find the most appealing is Daddy/boy. The Daddy offers love, support, guidance, and discipline when needed. The boy offers loyalty, service, obedience, and the ability to be taught as a form of submission. In a Daddy/boy relationship I’m able to have a loving and affectionate relationship while exploring BDSM.
This series of eleven photographs gives an intimate look into a BDSM scene between Daddy and boy. Brooklyn based photographer Benjamin Fredrickson captured the images using 35mm film on location at the Tom of Finland Foundation in the Pleasure Park.
Daddy’s boy
Written and performed by Donald C. Shorter Jr. is a one act play that combines spoken word and BDSM. It’s a story about a boy who just wants love and to be loved in return. The two main characters are Daddy and boy. We meet them in a dungeon engaging in BDSM. Here we are able to see their unique bond of trust, honesty, and communication. The play examines the parallels between the boys biological father and leather Daddy. The main question for the boy is will he find the love he desperately desires?