Maximiliano Navarrete fearlessly expresses several of his own sexual encounters, which have left long-lasting marks on his life. From his first threesome to his first anonymous encounter outside in an overgrown field, each moment was faced with some level of danger. Navarrete is able to work through the challenges of these experiences and, as a result, find peace and embrace his own sexual desires, despite the risks he faced when encountering many of the men portrayed in these artworks.
Maximiliano Navarrete’s (Mexico, b. 1994) illustrations address the myriad facets of peripheral sexualities, gender identity, and new masculinities through the focus of homoeroticism. In his work, the artist speaks to the dangerous appeal of searching and longing for acceptance and love in the rural environs of Michoacán, Mexico. Parks, river banks, and beaches become backdrops to a deeper, darker, and seedier reality of queer youth surviving the exodus from their homes children on a daily basis.
