Wrestling exhibits nonstop bodily contact, which is in stark contrast to the limitations that frequently regulate touch between men. I associate the wrestler with vulnerability due to the compromising physicality they endure: faces pressed, limbs tangled, an overbearing pressure of another’s body on top of one’s own. The sport is one of few contexts in which men and boys are free to exhibit weakness, and I am captivated by the tenderness evoked by their embrace. Despite the struggle depicted by these images, they may also be read as moments of fear, sadness, or compassion. These more sensitive traits run contrary to the characteristics assigned to masculinity: strength, control, and power. The figures in my works exist in an arena of longing where they desire to be free from this rigid conformity. www.gustavouriel.com