davidperryassociates's video: David Perry speaks with photographer Florian Hetz from his home in Berlin

6 November 2020 - Ahoy! David Perry speaks with photographer Florian Hetz from his home in Berlin, one of the 52 featured artists in New Queer Photography: Focus on the Margins from Gingko Press and edited by Benjamin Wolbergs. Florian Hetz started his professional career in opera and dance theatre in Germany. A severe encephalitis put an abrupt end to his professional life. In the process of returning to full health he picked up a camera to document daily life, in the form of a visual diary, to fight potential memory loss as part of the after-effects of the brain inflammation. From taking photos of his friends and lovers he eventually moved on to creating photos based on the imagery in his head. Much of Hetz's work circles around the hidden memories of a pre-coming out time and intimacy. Memories of confusingly arousing moments, that many queer people experience at young ages without knowing how to read or act on them. By taking close ups of seemingly normal body parts and gestures, Hetz brings the focus to their highly sexual undertone. Like looking through a glory hole, Hetz only shows a fragment of the moment, and viewers are invited to create their own narrative.