Capturing the end of a more innocent era for gay culture and for Los Angeles, Blake Little’s latest monograph, Construction Nudes 1981-1985, juxtaposes the purity of the nude male form against raw, almost violent concrete environments as a reaction to the AIDS crisis that was ravaging the queer community. In preparation of the upcoming Olympics, LA was growing exponentially and building massive skyscrapers speaking to the city’s new international status. Sneaking models into these dangerous construction sites, Little boldly captured gay men in often classical and haunting images that speak to the fear and unknown of the time. These photographs present an artistic time capsule of a unique moment in LGBT history and the history of the city.
Recently rediscovered in his multi-decade archive, the photographic series presented in this newly published book collects Little’s first post-academic body of work after moving to Los Angeles in 1980. It also shows his burgeoning interest in figure photography after transitioning out of architectural work, apparent in the contrast of setting and subject. Construction Nudes 1981-1985 highlights the striking contrast between the strength and vulnerability of the human body and the rigidity of a city's foundation. The naked figures, fully formed in flesh and blood, are set amidst the beginnings of buildings that will one day dominate the Los Angeles skyline.
As Little explains “It has been a revelation for me to rediscover these photos from my archives. I see the beginnings of what would become my approach to photography, especially in terms of composition and my interest in photographing the male nude that I continue to pursue to this day.”
Construction Nudes 1981-1985 captures a time in Little’s career when he was just beginning to explore 35mm, 120mm and 4x5 analog camera formats in these solitary, almost hostile locations with over half the photos made with the physical restrictions and filming limitations of the heavy and cumbersome 4x5 camera. The models were often friends of Little’s who were excited to create this new work together, bolstered by trust in the artist and his uncompromising, adventurous spirit. This volume shows the creative freedom of Little’s youth, with the additional context of his multi-decade career in honest and intimate portraiture.
The reality of both the creation process and the resulting work is a reflection of the shadowy gay experience of the early 1980s, with the illegal trespassing and male nudity representing transgressing mainstream social protocols. As Little notes, “working fast was important because there was always the fear of getting caught making the experience of shooting the models dangerous and taboo.” This frenetic energy comes through even now, decades after capture.
Ryan Linkof, Ph D., curator of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art writes “Throughout the series, the photographs contrast the rough, unfinished quality of the buildings with the smooth textures of the nubile male models. The images offer an interplay between the vulnerability of human flesh and the durability of concrete and rebar. They also invite viewers to compare the tactility of the hard surfaces of building materials and the rigid, muscular forms of the figures. In this way, the images offer an opportunity to explore the erotic nature of construction sites, long identified with masculine labor and physical strength.”
Getty Museum Collection: In April 2026, four photographs from Construction Nudes 1981-1985 were acquired by the J. Paul Getty Musuem.
Construction Nudes designed by Sean Adams and edited by Frank Rodriguez, with a foreword by Ryan Linkof, Ph D., curator Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
