This report will be discussing the relationship between queer masculinity and the artworks of Salman Toor, a Pakistani artist currently working in New York. Masculinity will be surveyed under the premise of ‘hegemonic masculinity’, as proposed by R.W. Connell, and how queer and gay men are either bound to that box so as to not out themselves, or test the limits of it and risk danger in unforgiving environments. Connells 2020 introduction to Masculinities (2005) acknowledges that data and research on the topic has developed since its initial publication, however she believes the use of the phrase is still valuable when talking about wider theories of gender. I am focusing on masculinity due to recent cultural discourse surrounding what constitutes masculinity and femininity, for example, public outcry over Harry Styles wearing a dress on the cover of Vogue in 2020. This had conservative commentator Candace Owens declaring we “Bring back manly men.”, or else the west will fall. This report will theorise that Salman Toor’s paintings are a visual example of race, sexuality and cultural backgrounds hindering the progression of masculinity to be less suffocating, and examine the ways in which men behave with one another in a dramatised manner. I will do this by analysing a variety of Toor’s works, particularly the men in them and the environments they are found in, then contextualising them with secondary research in Pakistan’s politics, gender studies and queer theories. By conducting this report, I hope to communicate the importance of Toor’s work when it comes to understanding queer lives that do not adhere to eurocentric or neoliberal standards and that popular depictions of queer experiences are not applicable to non-white people.
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