Photographer Freddy Krave on his homoerotic nude portraits
Interesting, exciting and enriched with brooding good looks, Freddy Krave may not be an instantly recognisable name at the moment, but that is likely to change in the near future.
The 22-year-old Italian-born photographer, real name Orlando Luca, has gathered a significant online following – a quick glance at his works and it’s not hard to see why. Think Terry Richardson, but with less sleaze and more homoeroticism.
“I started taking photographs when I was just a kid,” says Krave (pictured above). “It was always fascinating to me, but I started to pursue it professionally two years ago.”
The premise of Freddy’s photography could be crudely boiled down to beautiful photos of his beautiful friends, but that is a surface-level understanding of what are essentially high-quality, artistic portraits.
“I discovered that I can express what’s inside of me with my pictures and I want to do it for the rest of my life,” he says. “‘Freedom’ is just a word, and my aim is to make it real through my art. Through these photographs, I want to share with you my universe.”
His style ranges from simple, clean shots, sexually charged images of men and women baring all, right through to twisted phantasmagoria. Colours bounce and body parts warp in what is an unconventional collection of images, many of them undeniably homoerotic. Putting it simply, there are plenty of dicks and bums to be found in the gay photographer’s portfolio.
“I love both gay and straight people and I want to destroy all the barriers that try to separate us,” he says. “We need to understand that diversity is invaluable and learn to stop spreading hate out of a fear of something we don’t know.”
He’s not afraid to strip for the sake of his art, either. Like a 21st century Frida Kahlo of sorts, Freddy’s self-portraits are a collection of vivid iconography and his freely swinging dick takes the place of a defining monobrow. Krave says his self-portraits have helped him accept his body and develop more self-confidence. “When I photograph someone else I’m aiming to capture their essence, but with self-portraits I have to dig deep inside of me every time.”
Nudity is integral to Freddy Krave’s work. His art is not fully achieved without it and it is something he feels quite strongly about. “People send nudes everyday through apps or messaging and because it is done in a private manner it’s fine. When I publicly show my body through my art though I’m ‘awful’ and ‘gross’. The tables are turned and it becomes something I should be ashamed of. Our bodies are not something that we should feel obliged to censor.”
While he may have amassed a large online fanbase, his work has not gone without criticism. “I’ve read comments where I was told I was ‘selling my body,’” he says. “I can respect constructive criticism, but I refuse to respect ignorance. Ignorance is like a weed we have to cut off. I do what I do for myself, because it makes me feel happy, and I want to share my happiness with the world.”
Freddy doesn’t just limit his work to photography; he has also created video projects. His videos range from moody black and white close-ups soundtracked to some obscure music to him simulating oral sex on a bloody gun. Boundaries are non-existent. “I don’t want to have boundaries, I think no one should have boundaries. We only live once and life’s only worth meaning if we are truly open to ourselves.”
Having finished his studies in graphic design, Krave is at the moment photographing for clubs in both his hometown of Bologna and other parts of Italy. Photography is his life’s passion and he says his dream is to see his work on billboards and in magazines.
“I bet one day it will happen. I will make it happen.”
You can find Freddie Krave’s works on his Tumblr page, and he is also reachable at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
WORDS BY KEVIN LONG
