Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Malex

Malex produces images which range from mild 'hazing' to amazing explorations of the death experience. In Mahoney's pictures the threat of death hangs as a terrible finale but Malex takes you by the hand and walks you though the door.

.

Malex - Frat Hazing (my title)

-->

The Frat Hazing picture here is a fairly mild example but the evil pleasure etched on the face of the blond spanker is typical of the sense of malice that runs though his work. His young men can be handsome and muscular jocks, skinny, bony geeks or anything in-between. You can see that there is an interest in musculature and the detail of hands and feet but although the men's bodies and clothes are well detailed the volumes are not fleshed out by shading.

The dark wash of black in the background, a comic book technique, is characteristic of his work and although it is used fairly crudely it adds a good sense of depth and drama. The treatment of the side table is more sophisticated.

Malex - Weight Training (my title)

The vindictive intent is equally apparent in this well known weight training picture, the muscular jock is one of Malex's more sensual creations and the situation more obviously erotic with a strong man being forced into demeaning activity. The black arching roof presses down on him too.

Although older men appear occasionally as authority figures, the teens who comfortably populate the fraternity and college pictures are a central feature of his work. It becomes more disturbing when they appear in execution and torture scenarios with older men as guards and executioners. Malex has illustrated a wide variety of execution scenes, generally bloodless and apparently painless too. The Block (below) is a fair representation of this scenario, shocking but darkly erotic.

Malex - The Block

His most challenging works are protracted scenes in which young men are cajoled and bullied into allowing themselves to be executed as a punishment for a minor infringement - or even as a sexual experience, giving the artist the opportunity to explore the fear, power play and supposed erotic excitement which accompanies death. He does not spare us the calculating pleasure and excitement of the executioner, which is spelt out in unequivocal terms.

Malex is a versatile and inventive chronicler of malicious intent, the mitchmen motto 'putting men in their place' could not be more appropriate although Malex pushes the boundaries further than most. His explorations of death are unique. The youth of his victims is naturally more disturbing, but the sketchy drawing technique (which does not represent the full extent of his illustrative skills) takes some of the edge away. Hollywood, of course, has no such scruples when comes to death and erotic violence. 

There's a further article on the Sci Fi Art of Malex

The gallery of his work I found in 2013 (see comments) has now been removed
There's presently (2017) a small display at malesmpractices
 
He can usually be found on sites and groups dealing with more extreme fetish interests 
such as nooses and crucifixion but these come and go. 

The other place to look for his work is at the GMBA archives 
(see sidebar for current GMBA link which changes from time to time)

To see earlier posts in this series click A-Z in the label list below