The profanity, profundity and posturing of Robert Mapplethorpe is captured in this intriguing and suitably provocative documentary. A man who lived to break taboos, he became famous for uniting the obscene and artistic, while becoming infamous for his voracious sexuality.
Directors Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey fearlessly delve into both aspects of the his life, embracing the complexity and discomfort that surround him. Showing his sexually-themed work and interviewing friends, family members and ex-lovers who criticise Mapplethorpe as much as they worship him, they highlight his apparently insatiable appetite for provocation.
Though described as a sensual angel, Barbato and Bailey reveal the collision between Mapplethorpe’s sexuality and ruthless ambition. Archived audio finds him stating that, “Life is about using people, and being used by people.” Obviously, this was a man cynically aware of the machinations needed to become a legend.
However, his output wasn’t immediately recognised or appreciated by the New York art scene, who found his focus on gay pornography, sadomasochistic imagery and sexual subversions of Catholic motifs “uncivilised”. Even when Mapplethorpe’s work became popular in certain circles, his “obsession” with photographing black men remained troubling, with the artist accused of objectifying his subjects.
But Mapplethorpe also became the victim of extreme stigma and oppression after being diagnosed with AIDs in 1986, a development that also resulted in a macabre commercial demand for his work.