Kelly Shibari Signs Distro Deal for Charles Gatewood Fetish Archives

LOS ANGELES—Asian BBW performer and PaddedKINK.com director/producer Kelly Shibari finalized a distribution deal with Monarchy and Exile to release the archives of one of fetish photography’s legendary figures on DVD. The first from the Charles Gatewood Archives line, Charles Gatewood’s Tales of Submission, will release this month. “Charles and I have been friends for years, and getting his historical work, previously available in VHS, out in DVD format has been a personal passion project,” Shibari said. “I’m delighted I am able to finally release them through Monarchy and Exile.” Shibari retains full rights to the Charles Gatewood Archives on behalf of the master fetish photographer. Shibari added, “Charles’ anthropological work is a must-collect item for anyone in BDSM, kink, fetish, body modification, and all alternative lifestyles pushing the boundaries of human sexual behavior.” For a box cover image of Charles Gatewood’s Tales of Submission, click here. According to fetish newsletter TheFetishistas, “Charles Gatewood, the man known as ‘the anthropologist of the forbidden,’ has been documenting America’s sexual underground and alternative subcultures since the 1960s. And though his name may not be that familiar to some younger pervs whose knowledge of fetish history is not that broad, the chances are that even these people will instantly recognize some of his best known images. … Gatewood’s work can be traced back to photographs that appeared in the late ’80s ReSearch publication Modern Primitives, the seminal work on body modification cults and characters which introduced the original Modern Primitive, San Francisco’s Fakir Musafar, to a much wider audience.” “Much of the activity that Gatewood documented on the margins of society in the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s is now part of contemporary youth culture,” continues TheFetishistas. “Today tattooing is commonplace and pop stars regularly appear in SM-influenced attire. As sexual and body modification practices once seen as radical and taboo become increasingly accepted by the mainstream consciousness, Gatewood's photography can be seen as showing the way.” “Charles Gatewood is a legend,” said Monarchy Distribution owner Mike Kulich. “His photography has always been so ahead of its time; when the opportunity presented itself to bring his visionary content to our customers, I knew it would be a home run. We are not only excited to be handling Gatewood’s DVDs, but honored as well.” “We’ll start with lighter fare first,” Shibari said. “Tales of Submission covers three lovely BDSM lifestylers displaying their submission in a variety of ways. From there, we will start covering some of the more fringe fetishes—sploshing, piercing, erotic tattooing, needle play, and more. Some of this may seem tame to today’s audiences, but for those who live the fringe, fetish, and alt lifestyles, these are collector’s items of historical significance. I’m very excited to be able to offer this collection to a new millennium audience.” Charles Gatewood’s Tales of Submission is available now for pre-order through Exile Distribution. For order inquiries, email Howard Levine at Howard@exiledist.com or call 818.576.9464. For media inquires regarding Charles Gatewood Archives, email press@kellyshibarixxx.com.