Charles Gatewood Memorial Set For Saturday, July 3

SAN FRANCISCO—A memorial for Charles Gatewood, who passed away peacefully on April 28 at age 73, will be held Sunday, July 3 at the Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco. Friends, fans, colleagues, admirers, lovers, and all those inspired by the famed photographer, videographer, and cultural anthropologist are invited to attend. “Charles Gatewood was my closest friend, mentor, confidant, and companion,” said girlfriend Eva Marie. “Nothing made him happier than sharing his work with his admirers, who he referred to as ‘true believers.’ I am excited for the opportunity to gather in his honor, and celebrate the life and legacy of such a remarkable man.” Attendees are invited to gather at the CSC at 4:30 p.m.; the memorial, will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. An “afterglow” will then be held until 10 p.m. All are invited to bring stories, art, performances, items and photos to show and tell, and to participate in the open mic to share their experiences and memories of the late cultural icon. The event will be filmed, to be added to the Charles Gatewood Archive; those who choose not to be in any photos or videos will have their requests honored. “Please come as you are, or dress up if you like,” notes the event description in regards to attire for the event. “Charles was an artist and loved toys, props, and accessories! Feel free to don your favorite fetish outfit or best costume. We look forward to celebrating his life with everyone.” “Charles Gatewood, the man known as ‘the anthropologist of the forbidden,’ has been documenting America’s sexual underground and alternative subcultures since the 1960s,” explained Fetish newsletter TheFetishistas. “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,” continued 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.” Gatewood's documentation of alternative culture in San Francisco is unmatched. His photo books include A Complete Unknown, Burroughs 23, Badlands, True Blood, The Body and Beyond, and Primitives. Pocket Books also published a novel, Hellfire. His collection may be seen here. Over his expansive career, Charles Gatewood received numerous awards, including: 1974-1977—CAPS fellowships in Photography, NY State Arts Council 1975—American Institute of Graphic Arts award 1976—Artist in Residence, Light Work, Syracuse University 1980—Awarded publishing grant by the New York State Arts Council 1983—New York State Arts Council fellowship for “Wall Street” 1985—Art Director’s Club Merit Award 1985—Leica Medal of Excellence for Outstanding Humanistic Photojournalism In addition to numerous private collections, Charles Gatewood’s images have been archived in over a dozen libraries and universities across the United States. The Gatewood Archive is currently curated at the Bancroft Library at University of California, Berkeley; the Bancroft is the university’s primary special-collections library. The Gatewood Archive contains several thousand vintage and modern silver prints, 250,000 slides and negatives, plus contact sheets, proof prints, personal papers, correspondence, over a thousand books, and special collections. The archive also contains master edits of 36 Gatewood videos, plus three films (including a copy of Dances Sacred and Profane,) and a selection of prints by other fine art photographers. The Center for Sex and Culture is located at 1349 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103. For more information on the Charles Gatewood Memorial Celebration, click here.