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The Fabulous Phalluses of Eva Mueller
“Flowers & Chocolate” exhibition reimagines the Black penis as transcendent sculpture
Contact: Andy Reynolds at andy@popularpublicity.com
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Exhibition listings info
Press release
About Eva Mueller
Quotes about the exhibition
Due to censoring, images of the exhibition are available as a catalog PDF on request to media only at andy@popularpublicity.com. Please identify your media affiliation or editorial interest to receive the PDF.
Note: To some this may be a controversial exhibition. The artist, Eva Mueller, and several of the models are available for an interviews about “Flowers & Chocolate.” Please take advantage of this offer when writing about the exhibition.
Listings info:
Eva Mueller
Flowers & Chocolate: Black Masculinity in Full Bloom
July 14-24,
Tue-Fri 4-8pm
Sat-Sun 3-8pm
Artist/Models Q&A, 7/20, 7-9pm
Closing Reception, Sun 7/24, 6-9pm
SoHo Project Space, 127B Prince Street, New York City
FREE
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(New York, NY) July 7, 2022 – “Flowers & Chocolate,” a solo exhibition by New York City photographer and conceptual artist Eva Mueller, features a series of hand-constructed lightboxes illuminating meticulously crafted portraits of erect Black penises. Each is posed with a different flower in markedly different arrangements, the fine details of skin and veins contrasting beautifully with the delicate textures of the jewel-toned petals. The twelve backlit images, culled from the series of twenty photographs, create alluring islands of light in the otherwise dark gallery space, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and secrecy.
“I have a long-standing preference for Black men,” says Eva Mueller in their explanation for the origins of the “Flowers & Chocolate” series. “Also Black men have been my muses throughout my photography practice. My fun-loving single-life eventually led me to Craig’s List Casual Encounters, which featured an ‘mm4w’ section. In most ads, groups of Black men would advertise for one woman. As an active participant of that lifestyle, I recognized a unique dynamic of this power-pleasure game. It empowers Black men AND white women against white male supremacy: It just leaves them out of the equation. When I heard my playmates’ stories about living in the US, being black and seeing countless new reports of unarmed Black men being killed by white cops. I couldn’t help thinking that there has to be a deeply rooted sexual inferiority complex at play.
“By creating a series of hyper-realized, yet beautifully lit photographs of Black erect penises paired with flowers I felt I was able to express all these mixed emotions/expressions of beauty, power, sexuality, racism and taboo, also thanks to the willingness of my play-friends to participate. The flowers give permission to look and examine the Black penis outside the sexual context. It’s an invitation to see it for what it is, as an object of pure beauty.”
“I chose to participate cause I know the visionary that Eva is and what she was putting together had not been done before, says Jules, one of eighteen models photographed for “Flowers & Chocolate. “In my mind, it was bringing beauty to the Black male body without the fetish.” On seeing the image of his penis paired with a flower (“Dianthus Caryophyllus – 7 Inches, 2016”) he adds, “You wake up in the same body every day and it’s nothing special to yourself to admire, as to you it’s just a penis, but seeing it wrapped in flowers made it more than just a “dick pick,” but a freeing visualization.
A limited edition 10″ x “10” “Flowers & Chocolate” catalog containing all twenty images in the series and is available at for purchase at Soho Project Space, via https://www.arcadeprojectzine.com/ or by emailing Mueller at evamuellerart@gmail.com.
“Flowers & Chocolate” is on display at the SoHo Project Space at 127B Prince Street, New York City from July 14-24, Thu-Fri: 4-8 p.m., Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m., Mon-Wed: Closed. Please follow Eva Mueller on Instagram @evamuellerart for details about a conversation with Eva and several of their models to be held at the gallery at 7 p.m. on July 20. •
About Eva Mueller
Eva Mueller is a German non-binary Brooklyn-based photographer and conceptual artist. They studied graphic fashion and portrait photography at the International Center of Photography and Parsons School of Design in New York. After a career as a fashion and music photographer, Mueller shifted their focus to fine art and portraiture.
The majority of Mueller’s work focuses on the core constructs of our human existence, such as race, gender identity, and sexuality as well as the naked body. Mueller purposefully creates images that need a second and third look for the viewer to grasp the concept and thus initiate a thought process that will lead to a deeper understanding of the work. They mainly employ photography and video in their art practice.
In 2017 Mueller presented “GenderFuck,” a portrait series of individuals outside the gender binary at the Leslie-Lohman Project Space in New York City. In 2018 they presented “Flowers & Chocolate,” an installation about the Black male sexuality at Art During the Occupation Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. Along with the exhibition, Mueller launched a limited-edition artist’s book. With “Twisted Twins – XXY,” Mueller created an immersive installation about the precariousness of gender, age and sexuality, at Satellite NYC in Brooklyn, NY in 2019.
Mueller’s self-portrait series MYSOLATION, shot during lockdown in 2020 had received numerous awards and was selected to be shown at [EXPOSURE] at Scope Art Fair, Miami in 2021.
In June 2022, Mueller curated PRESENT: prideART New York, a group show featuring works by 36 queer artists from New York and Berlin and contributed four photographers to the concurrent show, “It’s A Queer, Queer, Queer World!” at Soho Project Space.
Mueller’s current show, “Flowers & Chocolate” premiered at Christopher Stout’s Art During the Occupation Gallery in 2018, followed by inclusion a Canadian group show, “Positive Masculinity,” and most recently at MAISON 10 in New York in 2021 as part of their “Queer & Sexy.” exhibition. Eva Mueller’s work can be seen at http://www.evamueller-art.com.
Reviews and quotes about “Flowers & Chocolate,” which was first exhibited in Spring 2018 at the Art During the Occupation Gallery in Brooklyn.
“A clever and carnal play on words and imagery, Flowers & Chocolate thoughtfully straddles the line between societal commentary and fetish. Mueller sparks discourse by employing erotica and socio-politics and skillfully composing them in a way that results in an engaging aesthetic that resonates with its audience.” – Akeem Duncan, Editor of Quiet Lunch Magazine
“Flowers & Chocolate is an exhibition intended to make a deliberate and conscious statement about Black male nudity and its place in American art. As long as I can recall, whenever I see images of nudity in the public domain, they were always and still are images of white people. It does not matter if they are ancient or modern, we have all been socialized to see whiteness as normal, pleasing and acceptable.
Flowers & Chocolate is a timely and rude awakening to the status quo. The series purposely flips the narrative and asserts a place for Black images and diversity showing the photographs that challenges the staid pretentiousness of the art world.
Mueller’s photographs of the Black penis, erect and adorned with flowers, amplifies the connection between Black masculinity and inherent tenderness, an attribute not fully understood by the cultural outsider. The photographs are worthy of their artistic merit. They proclaim in a loud and unapologetic voice, ‘Here I am, a Black man — proud and bold, beautiful and desired.’” – Richie Richardson, Artist, Designer and Cultural Curator
“Eva Mueller’s Flowers & Chocolate beautifully and vividly thrusts forward the iconic — yet rarely represented — myth and reality of the Black male form in contemporary fine art photography. Mueller is peerless in this regard, fiercely following her muse to challenge the rising voice of racism to create a powerful and relevant vision. This bold and vibrant collection is sure to open eyes and minds.” – Tomás Doncker, CEO – True Groove Records
“Eva Mueller’s Flower & Chocolate resonates a sense of awakening and breaks the myth of our sexuality, color and masculinity. It also showcases our beauty and brings forward the reality of a Black man’s journey. Mueller’s photographs speak our truth.” – Chris Fosh, Singer and Entertainer
“Rare is the moment when the Black male is portrayed without being the object of fetishism, fear mongering, or racism to substantiate a political and social point. Eva Mueller’s Flowers & Chocolate straddles a fine line by stripping away layers of negative and stereotypical portrayals of Black masculinity to showcase and focus on the male libido. Each naked erection is slightly sheathed or adorned by a vibrant yet delicate flower. The viewer must honestly confront their own perceptions. The photos spark further introspection and create a moment to ask and discuss challenging questions.” – Paul Dennison, Arts and Culture Supporter
“In Flowers & Chocolate, photographer Eva Mueller focuses the female gaze on Black male sexuality. With poetic frankness, she presents a body of work that is equal parts documentary, photo essay, and societal critique.” – Christopher Stout, Gallerist (for the Spring 2018 showing of Flower & Chocolate at the Art During the Occupation Gallery.)
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