Book shows the codes that gays in the 70s used

Artist Hal Fischer is the author of the book “Gay Semiotics”which brings together photographs with the codes used by gays in the 1970s in San Francisco (USA). Hanging keys, earrings, everything was a sign for flirting, always discreetly. This code used reinforces a past of exclusion and criticism, of times when it was not enough to open an app to find sex, a relationship or both together.

A red or blue handkerchief in the back pocket of your pants? It depends on what you’re into. Keys hanging from the right front pocket of your pants mean that you’re passive. On the right, you want to play a dominant role.

The series also includes images of erotic instruments for tying up the bottom, the world of leather and S&M. The first exhibition of the work was held in 1977, featuring images that are taken directly from Hal’s personal experiences living in the vibrant gay communities of the Castro and Haight-Ashbury districts.

Over a career spanning four decades, Fischer’s work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions and is held in both public and private collections. By the 1970s, his reviews and articles on photography appeared regularly in journals such as Artweek, Artforum, and Afterimage.

In 1977 Fischer gained nonprofit status for the San Francisco Camerawork and formed the organization’s first volunteer board. In 1984, he embarked on a career as an independent museum consultant.

With the inclusion of his photographs in Under the Big Black Sun: California Art, 1974-81 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Fischer’s work returned to the public. Exhibitions of the Gay Semiotics series and a reprint of the 1978 monograph renewed interest in his art.

He is also the author of “Castro Street”, “The Boyfriend” and the iconic billboard “A Salesman”.

By Ezatamentchy