‘The duty of the artist is to be free and let other people be free’, Cayden Reilly, fashion coordinator and creative outreach of GCFS tells me upstairs at Banana Moon, mai tai in hand. Cayden is surrounded by beautiful black and white photographs, sketches and portraits, his first exhibition and Young Lives vs. Cancer fundraiser entitled Emancipation, debuting on December 7th. The pieces are not hooked on the wall, but are free to be held and seen by the audience, in emancipatory spirit. We talked all things Patti Smith, religion and self-confidence: read about it here!
Who and/or what inspired you to create this collection?
Together with Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorne is one of my biggest inspirations. I admire his confidence, the way he was unapologetically himself and broke boundaries in the art world. Because of them, I feel comfortable calling myself an artist. I recently saw Patti live in London; she had this surreal, rock ‘n’ roll presence that emanated as soon as she got on stage. I also love Grace Jones, David Bowie and Madonna, to name a few.
Your personal style is incredible. What does emancipation mean to you as a young, queer creative?
I’ve only been out for around 3 years, and it’s not been until recently that I’ve really found my personal style and become comfortable in expressing myself unapologetically. Before calling myself queer, I would call myself an artist. The theme ‘emancipation’ deeply resonated with me as it reflects my personal relationship with art: in dedicating time and energy to creativity, you allow others to have an experience they otherwise wouldn’t have had. It’s a moment to escape society and its norms, even if it’s just by looking at a painting or hearing a 2 minute song. The duty of the artist is to be free and let other people be free. Art is the most important thing ever!
However, I don’t conform to just one medium. Rather than labelling myself a painter or a photographer, I’d call myself a rock ‘n’ roll star. With art, you find comfort to disturb and disturb to comfort. With art, you don’t need a certain history or talent to be successful: it comes naturally. One day, I’ll have a rock ‘n’ roll album!
Do you have a favourite piece in the collection you’d like to share?
One of my favourites would have to be the portrait of my friend Robbie, a silhouette where he has one devil horn in his head, and rips the other out. My prompt for him was: ‘Pretend you’re a young little Christian girl who’s being taken over by a demon.’ It’s all about breaking norms and breaking free. Another one of my favourites is the still life polaroid of a crucifix hanging from a cock, with fragile tape around it. While it shows the vulnerability and innocence of this body part, it’s also a religious rewriting, making it a serious yet unserious piece. Similarly, the polaroid of a chastity cage directly speaks to the theme of emancipation: the word essentially means you’re breaking free from some form of cage. There’s flowers all around as well, from roses to lilies, highlighting the themes of innocence and purity: their fragility embodies the human spirit and creativity.
How has being on the GCFS committee influenced your creative process: in what ways does the show’s theme, ‘synergy,’ radiate through this exhibition?
Being part of GCFS has definitely helped me feel more comfortable to be creative: it’s liberating to be involved in a community like this. I’ve felt like an outsider for most of my life, but working with like-minded individuals has been so fun. There’s synergy between all the pieces in this collection: the way the artworks are positioned connects the core themes of vulnerability, purity and innocence. Take the penis outline, rose and chastity cage polaroid: by being placed side by side, they are pulled together and made a whole, despite being completely different to one another.
Any final thoughts or future projects you’d like to tell us about?
I’m always keen to delve into new art forms, particularly poetry, music and sculpture. Just as not one day of creativity is the same, not one piece of art is the same! Reflecting on Emancipation, I found it really special to have women pose for me for the first time, as it was unfamiliar yet beautiful: it felt wonderfully exotic. Hearing what the models had to say after posing was also very rewarding; my friends Sofia and Robbie expressed the newfound confidence they felt afterwards. By making art and thinking outside the box, you create a space for vulnerability: you bring people into another dimension and expand both their and your own horizons.
Thank you so much to Cayden for chatting with me and for putting on this incredible exhibition, as well as our sponsor pub Banana Moon for hosting the event. Keep your eyes peeled for what’s next from this Glaswegian rock ’n’ roll star!
Follow Cayden’s Instagram art page: @artist_cr_
Talk soon,
Fleur xo