Peter Tomka Explores Life After Loss in ‘Bachelor Suite’

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The Webber Gallery is showcasing Peter Tomka’s newest collection titled “Bachelor Suite.” This series, produced by the LA-based photographer, blends unique and discovered images to delve into topics like loss, rebuilding, and queer identity. The result is a compelling, if fractured, story that is deeply rooted in Tomka’s personal experiences.

Tomka’s approach encompasses cutting and transforming numerous photographs – some taken by himself and others sourced from research – to construct multi-layered artwork. These digital images are then flipped, expanded, and shown onto light-receptive paper via an improvised peephole, which is now represented by a slit in a mattress. This method aligns with his continuous investigation into queer environments, subconscious realms, and sensuality, mirroring his earlier work, titled “Watering Hole“.

In the apartment of Tomka, located in the iconic Gaylord Apartments of Koreatown, the storyline of “Bachelor Suite” blends private and public realms, taking inspiration from the atmospheric style of Hollywood noir, notably the film “The Black Angel“. The divided, four-part images have a striking resemblance to crime scene photography snapshots, further emphasizing Tomka’s continuous exploration of surveillance and voyeurism, a theme that was prominent in his earlier work titled “Studio Encore“.

Bachelor Suite is now on view at Webber Gallery until February 29.

Webber Gallery
18 Newman St, London
W1T 1PE, United Kingdom

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2025-02-17 12:55