“Ron Norsworthy’s Pioneering Celebration of Queer Black Male Identity and Self-Love”
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### **Reimagining the Narcissus Myth: Black Male Beauty and Queerness Through Art**
In the context of Western mythology, beauty has long been defined by parameters that exclude marginalized groups. This conversation is particularly relevant to queer Black men, who have historically been underrepresented, if not entirely erased, in narratives of beauty and power. **Ron Norsworthy**, a prominent artist exploring this terrain, has evolved his practice to challenge these power structures — engaging with beauty, queerness, visibility, and mythology, particularly through the myth of **Narcissus**.
This exploration of beauty, particularly Black male beauty, surfaced in an insightful dialogue between Norsworthy and fellow artist **Damien Davis**. Together, they delved into the extensive implications of how self-love, beauty, and queerness intertwine within their artistic practices, illuminating how these themes function as both personal expressions and social critiques.
#### **The Narcissus Myth as Reimagined by Norsworthy**
In **Norsworthy’s 2024 exhibition**, the myth of **Narcissus** — a classical Greek tragedy about a man who fell fatally in love with his reflection — emerges as a metaphor for Black beauty, self-worth, and the politics of representation.
Historically, Narcissus has been viewed as the archetype of self-obsession, a figure consumed by his own beauty. However, Norsworthy flips this narrative. In place of an unattainable ideal of Greek beauty, the work presents **Black male figures**. These figures are, much like Narcissus, entranced by their reflections, but with an important difference: they are embracing a self-worth and beauty historically refused to them. Norsworthy states, “I wanted to see a Narcissus who looked like me.”
His series of mixed-media collages in relief on wood panel, including prominent pieces such as *”Narcissus (Maybe It’s Time)”* and *”Narcissus and Echo”*, explicitly engage with how **queer Black men** have been excluded from cultural definitions of beauty that often prioritize White, male, and heteronormative ideals. Norsworthy finds power in these contradictions, asking, “What happens when we embrace self-love?” He challenges the traditional framing of **visibility in beauty standards**, reclaiming space for queer Black men who, for too long, have been rendered invisible.
#### **Beauty as Power and Self-Love as Liberation**
Norsworthy’s reframing of **Narcissus** is a commentary on the power structures that traditionally govern our understanding of beauty. The myth becomes a vehicle through which he can interrogate the broader question: **Who gets to define beauty?** As Norsworthy notes, Narcissus didn’t need external validation — his beauty was an intrinsic part of his identity.
In societies where Black men are frequently objectified or left out of conversations around beauty, Norsworthy’s work insists on agency and autonomy. He explores how, within these structures, **queer Black men** can reclaim narratives of self-love and find power in their reflections, rather than being sidelined or fetishized. This reimagining is not about vanity but about liberation. It offers the possibility of **loving oneself unapologetically** as a revolutionary act, challenging dominant social constructions.
#### **The Intersection of Queerness, Identity, and Representation**
The conversation between Norsworthy and Davis extends beyond beauty and self-worth to how queer Black identities navigate society’s impossibly narrow beauty standards. They touch upon the **commodification of art** and how their work operates within — and also pushes against — those frameworks.
Davis reflects: “We’re not just talking about beauty, we’re talking about power — who gets to hold it, who is excluded from it.” Norsworthy agrees, positioning his work not merely as a reinvention of an old myth but as an inquiry into the ways that beauty can also be wielded as a form of power by queer Black men.
By using **Narcissus** as a central figure in his art, Norsworthy elevates the conversation around beauty beyond superficial concerns. For him, it is a means to probe deeper into how **visibility** operates in a world that often demands Black men adhere to specific roles — athletes, entertainers, or strong, masculine figures — but rarely celebrates them simply for their beauty. **Queer Black men**, in particular, are even further marginalized from these discussions.
#### **Self-Construction,