Kyle Meyer | Interwoven
Image © Kyle Meyer, from Kyle Meyer: Interwoven, courtesy Radius Books.
Written by Max Wiener
In June, resilient stories of some of the world’s most prominent LGBTQ+ trailblazers come to our forefront. The tales of heroes like Marsha P. Johnson and Harvey Milk are retold to remind us of the incredibly arduous path these people have taken to be recognized, let alone equal. But what about the stories of the less fortunate, those whose stories are buried beneath the societal weight that bears them down? In Kyle Meyer’s Interwoven, we learn about some of these people, and through his incredible artistry, their stories are more poignant than ever.
Meyer’s subjects hail from then-Swaziland, present-day Eswatini, a tiny, landlocked country in southern Africa. While many of the country’s well-known facts are less than fortunate (28% of their 1.1 million inhabitants are HIV- positive), the focus Meyer wants to establish is that in Swaziland, homosexuality is a crime, with a main emphasis placed on homosexual men. In their society, those different from the norm are ostracized and criticized, and even killed in some dire circumstances. Compared to the movements in the United States, it seems like prehistoric times. Reading about - while seeing the corresponding images - makes it all the harder to digest.
Image © Kyle Meyer, from Kyle Meyer: Interwoven, courtesy Radius Books.
Image © Kyle Meyer, from Kyle Meyer: Interwoven, courtesy Radius Books.
In Meyer’s work, we see subjects - interwoven in the image - wearing a traditional head wrap worn by Swazi women; men are not allowed even to wear such a garment without arrest. These homosexual men, bearing their souls to Meyer’s camera, are captured with a raw intensity, highlighting the culturally starved looks in their eyes and the sadness in their guts. He then takes the images and hand-cuts them, splicing them with actual pieces of Swazi fabric and creating a work of art in a completely different echelon than anything else in the current lexicon. A simple squint reveals a much larger picture, but you can feel their eyes beaming into you right as you glance at the art; it’s a feeling unlike any other. Rarely does such visceral art plant itself so firmly within our psyches, more difficult to ignore. It adds volumes to the power of Interwoven.
Image © Kyle Meyer, from Kyle Meyer: Interwoven, courtesy Radius Books.
Image © Kyle Meyer, from Kyle Meyer: Interwoven, courtesy Radius Books.
Meyer’s use of woven fabric and photography makes this book an incredible read, and each image provides a story that begs us to read further down the book’s spine. These people are interweaved into society, but Meyer showcases them to our attention. He makes you see their experienced horrors, almost as if to tell you that taking anything for granted is a probationary act.
While stories of Pride are celebrated, these people are left out, and their true selves are hidden from their world. Where Instagram and social media are there to highlight the LGBTQ+ stars of our lives, theirs are shut in, shelved from the world until their final days. With Interwoven, their voices are not just heard but celebrated.
