Austin is lying in the grass. It’s green. Dry and grey in some spots. High, brushing against his bare skin. It scratches, a little. Feels rough. But in the wind, it suddenly moves softly, almost carefully. One hand rests on his chest. He can feel his own breath. How the hand slowly goes up and down. He’s looking into the camera with his dark eyes. It’s a dreamy look. Maybe even a little melancholic. Worried? The kind of glance that makes you feel like you’ve known Austin your whole life. Behind the camera is Jess T. Dugan, capturing this intimate photograph — now on display until October 19 in their latest exhibition: Jess T. Dugan. Look at Me Like You Love Me, at Gallerie d’Italia in Milan.
The image of Austin at Anderson Ranch in Colorado is one of the thirty works by the US-American multidisciplinary artist that are showcased. They explore themes like personality, relationships, identity, love, and community, but also desire, loneliness, and how these experiences shape the identity of each of us.
Therefore, the large-format portraits or videos show couples, individuals, all kinds of bodies, faces, and gestures. They are standing inside a small river surrounded by dark green trees. A still lake. Bathtub. Public pool. Beach or a flower meadow. Often outdoors, connected with water and plants. There is no loud styling. Casual. Natural. The models are sometimes topless, presenting scars, tattoos, hair — traces of life and choices lived.
Dugan, who currently lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri, is known for their photographs, videos, writing, sound works, drawings, and installations that are inspired by their own life experiences, including their identity as a queer nonbinary person. And just like the rest of the artist’s work, Look at Me Like You Love Me reflects a deep belief in the power and importance of representation and storytelling, one reason why the exhibition opened this year on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
Particularly powerful are the self-portraits: Dugan in front of a cold, dark wall. Stretching, looking into the sky. As well as two deeply personal videos: Letter to My Daughter (2023), a collection of photographs and interwoven texts; and Letter to My Father (2017), in which Dugan explores their relationship with their father.
As you walk through this incredibly thoughtful exhibition, encountering intimate moments with Austin, Harry and Janie, Cai, or Shira and Sarah, you slowly enter Dugan’s world. A world where there’s space for everyone. A world that creates one of the most powerful forms of intimacy: seeing and being seen. And just like the title promises – look at me like you love me – you do. You look into their eyes. And somehow, you feel part of it.
The exhibition Look at Me Like You Love Me by Jess T. Dugan is on view until October 19 at Gallerie d’Italia, Piazza della Scala, 6, Milan.
Austin lying in the grass, 2023 © Jess T. Dugan
Cai, 2019 © Jess T. Dugan
David and John, 2023 © Jess T. Dugan
Elcid (green room), 2023 © Jess T. Dugan
Harry and Janie, 2024 © Jess T. Dugan
Jamie (bath), 2016 © Jess T. Dugan
Kelli and Jen, 2017 © Jess T. Dugan
Naomi (eyes closed), 2022 © Jess T. Dugan
Oskar and Zach (embrace), 2020 © Jess T. Dugan
Shira and Sarah, 2020 © Jess T. Dugan
Dario, 2022 © Jess T. Dugan