Man on Rooftop

Man on Rooftop is a collection of around 60 black and white photographs made by an unknown photographer in the late 1960s. According to the date stamped on the side of the photographic material, the pictures were taken between 196 and1968. The photographs show the same man, perhaps in his mid- to late-thirties, wearing a range of women's bikini bottoms on an empty rooftop. We don't know what building this is nor what city the photos were taken in, but we presume that this is America and guessing by the light, perhaps the West Coast. Not knowing for certain leaves us free to speculate: did the man in the photographs work on his own, making self-portraits in complete autonomy and in an empty setting that was familiar to him? Was this the rooftop of an office building or perhaps the rooftop of an athletic club he attended, as a small leather bag recurring in the photos or the sneakers he wears might indicate? Was he exploring a facet of his sexuality, in secret but with pride. Or was there someone else with him on the rooftop, someone giving him directions on how to pose, how to place his arms, when to cross his legs? Is the choice of swimwear, skintight on his roundish, bulky body, even meant to indicate a sexual preference at all? As the outfits, dates and poses change in this non-linear time, the only constant in this body of work seems to be the space: the architecture on the roof and the lines and contours of the building. However way we look at Man on Rooftop, this is the grid we can hold on to and which in the end defines and cements his place in the story that he has formulated for himself.

• Deutsch
• Contact
• Imprint
• Facebook
• Privacy policy