Gay bondage photography

Where queerness is the antithesis of heteronormativity, and BDSM is a subversion of conventional sexuality, is it then possible to subvert the already subversive?

Fabio DaMotta is an artist answering this question, breathing softness into BDSM to broaden our understanding of fetishism, believing it can be both intense and poetic. Fabio is also subverting the idea that bondage is only something used for submission: it can be liberating, shedding not heavy on the oppressed lgbtq+ body.

Born in the south of Brazil, Fabio moved to São Paulo when he was 19 to study Graphic Design and Photography. From college, he went on to function for Erika Palomino — the renowned Brazilian fashion journalist and previous Editor-in-Chief of L’Officiel Brazil — who he describes affectionately as “the hottest fashion editor” around. “I was going out every overnight to photograph amazing cultural happenings in Sāo Paulo, like fashion week and all the good parties,” he says. “The underground scene helped me figure out who I am.”

But since 2004, Fabio has pursued his own perform. Seeking to demystify preference through the use of shibari — a manner of Japanese bondage which wo