erostakles
[ eh-rah-stah-kleez ]
“the glory of Eros”
erostakles (b. 1986, United States) is an American artist focused on the male form, gay symbolism, and queer identity. Raised among rural, evangelical Christian culture, he seeks to showcase cultural hypocrisies and the hidden spaces within which gay men have found identity, community, and sexual connection — even through repressive eras in history.
Through ink drawings, acrylic painting, and photography, erostakles engages in artistic conversations with modern cultural assumptions and the historical representations of “maleness” and gay sexuality. While he wants to push provocative boundaries — and question the arbitrary lines between art and pornography — he also enjoys showcasing subtle sexuality, hidden in the symbology and nuance of the still life genre.
erostakles does not have an art degree from any institution; any “skill” he can present is entirely self-taught. But he has a firm belief that Art should have a message and point of view; and while he would pursue an M.F.A. if he were younger and of means, he doesn’t believe a higher degree should prerequisite participation in this most basic and essential part of humanity: artistic expression.