Kiss of the Dragons
1. Symbols and Metaphors
2. Dragons
Dragons resonate with me on a deep level — I identify as a dragon.
I cherish solitude and recovery in my personal haven, similar to a dragon in its cave.
Yet when I engage with the outside world, I strive to express myself fully and freely.
It’s difficult to articulate, but when my work aligns with my inner self, everything feels as though it’s clicking into place perfectly.
3. Two men
The image depicts a gay couple kissing. But it’s more than two men. The image is more of a duet of yin and yang. Masculine and feminine. I actively avoided the words M/F because of unintended connotations.
To me, the two men in the image represents the X and Y chromosomes in a male body. Both are essential parts of the body. Acknowledging and embracing these dual aspects is essential for complete self-expression.
4. Duality
Yin and Yang are further materialized as Phoenix and Dragon.
In these works, the interplay between dragon and phoenix symbolizes a crucial harmony of raw power and graceful flow.
Often, gay-themed art overemphasizes toughness, which doesn’t resonate with my point of view.
5. True identities
The video reveals its deeper intentions when two men, initially perceived as Caucasian, share a kiss.
This intimate act unveils their true identities, showing a Caucasian man and a black man, challenging initial assumptions.
6. Beard
The older man’s beard, when looked at differently, blended into the clouds behind him, uncovering a younger man within. This metaphorical kiss exposed his authentic identity, allowing him to reunite with his other half.
7. Kiss
This kiss symbolizes the strength of love between two men and the harmonious blending of masculine and feminine energies — symbolized by the dragon and the phoenix, and the yin and yang. It is a dual portrait representing both two men and myself, mirroring the struggles I experience as a gay man.
Essentially, it’s a self-portrait.
10. Loving oneself
The dragon is the demon inside. It’s neither good or bad. It‘s part of ourselves, and it serves a purpose. Sometimes we need ways to protect ourselves against the very negative forces around us, and when that happens, we need to be able to defend with equally fierce intentions. So I embrace my dragon as much as I keep it hidden in the cave, and to only unleash it when it’s necessary.
These portraits are as such as much about the literal depiction of two men as they are my self portraits. Learning to love ourselves is something fundamentally important to live the fullest life.
Tech
Stable Diffusion txt2img, SDXL, Regional Prompter, Control Nets, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Gigapixel AI.
Dragon Series
- 2Fire Dragon: Ascendance
- 3Sacred Geometry
- 4Kiss of the Dragons