Art by Shenguanlin 2

Part 1 of this post

Shenguanlin - Sock Mummy

 This image is something of a first for this blog. Normally posts here feature conventional photographs or artwork but I suppose you'd call this an art installation - on a miniature scale. It's simply a plastic toy, a male figure, put inside a sock and bound up with tape (which looks like old cassette tape) but the end result is astonishing and it's an image I can't get out of my mind. 

The knitted body sheath itself is unique, a departure from the usual body wraps of leather, rubber and white tape. Loose fitting and soft, it's unexpectedly sexy, with the surreal overlay of actually being an old (and smelly?) sock in reality. Underneath, the outlines of the figure look uncannily realistic and Shenguanlin has contrived pockets of sexy shaping at strategic locations. 

The tape restraint is comprehensive and almost completely symmetrical (with one sexy, mid-body exception). The upper body contours are flattered by a pattern that looks immensely secure. Obscuring facial features doesn't usually work for me, but an amazing amount of personality comes through in this case. Twist of the head creates the bizarre impression that there's actually a real man inside.

The figure (and his discarded boots) are surrounded by messy, desk detritus with an unpleasant stain at head height contributing an air of casual neglect.

Shenguanlin - Boxed 4

This image has similar characteristics but with the captive subjected to more usual mummification techniques, multi-layered and supplemented by an array of straps. He's also been fitted with a selection of erotic attention-getters - Shenguanlin's, trademark, cock and ball cage, plus electrical and vibrator attachments with further secondary pain from simple nipple clips. A tube recycles the produce into his mouth. On either side, other men who are simply restrained in their boxes seem to be drawn to and perhaps excited by his special treatment. They are all struggling and complaining.

It's not clear if these men are boxed up for onward shipment or if these are simply storage cells. If you study the edges of the boxes above their heads, it looks as if the man in the middle is not in a box like the others but in a sunken area, like a drawer that will close, sliding under the one above his head to leave him enjoying his privileges in darkness and peace.

Shenguanlin - Locker Room Slave

This attractive Rugby type is stored alongside a bag of smelly rubbish. The title suggests that his teammates intend to make use of him but the multiple restraints will limit their options! I suspect the ring shape buried inside his gag is the clue to the form his 'enslavement' will take. His torn clothing suggests he didn't volunteer for this role, but the holes in his socks are more likely to be indicators of self-neglect, an attitude which may have helped bring this predicament about. He's a handsome figure though, very desirable should they choose to put him on the market.

Shenguanlin - Fantasies Come True 2

This picture looks at another widely frowned-on male phenomenon - jerking off in front of the computer. Once again the floor is strewn with possessions the man is too lazy to put away or clean. However they do reveal his active, sporting interests which have yielded him a chunky physique. 

Rolls of tape scattered around and pictures on the wall show his interest in bondage and humiliation.

He's stripped to his jock and rugby socks, suggesting he hasn't even showered and changed after his last match. He is innocently enjoying a bondage clip in the privacy of his home when an intruder enters, unheard (thanks to the earphones which he uses to keep his vice a secret from his neighbours - or so he thinks, anyway). He doesn't realise he's not alone until a wad of material is clamped over his face.

When he comes to, we can imagine his initial shock quickly giving way to a feeling of naked vulnerability, then embarrassment, fear and finally maybe, a perverse sense of excitement.

Shenguanlin - Fantasies Come True 3

The intruder is masked and clad in a (fashionably grey) skin-tight suit which showcases his highly muscular physique (etc). This character, close up, would excite most of us. We've seen him before as the preparer of captives (in Part 1 of this post) and the wall art tells us that this sportsman is familiar with Shenguanlin's work and knows what happens to his captives. What must he be thinking as the intruder ties him to his chair? The man in his video suffers a similar fate, hence the title. 

Soon his face is enveloped by layer on layer of his own soiled shorts and underwear. The intruder goes to extraordinary lengths to tape him to his office chair, tying up his arms and torso in a shibari-style harness. His nipples are clipped and a vibrator positioned to continuously sustain his erection.

The intruder only speaks to give him a sarcastic instruction.

There's a delicious ambiguity in  Shenguanlin's titling here. Is it this man's fantasy to be tied up and abused by an intruder? Or to inflict that fate on someone else? Is this his dream come true or a true nightmare? Would he perhaps have relished being abducted and put into degrading service like the men in the pictures on the wall? Unexpectedly, the ending of this series of 5 images is more prosaic.

Shenguanlin - Public Oral Sex Station

The most demanding fate a Shenguanlin captive can suffer is be bolted into a rigid body shell, perfectly moulded to his shape and used as a drainage vessel for men in need of relief. This is a particularly fiendish variant, with the unfortunate obliged to induce the means of his own humiliation. Fixed to the wall, he has a motorised piston attached to the back of his head, so that his users doesn't even have to move their hips to enjoy the sensations of his ever-open mouth. They can even adjust the speed via a control on the captives collar and enjoy a stimulating video while he sucks them off. 

The gadgetry on the wall suggests a payment is required, these facilities don't run themselves, you know! It reminds me of those service station air pumps where you pay for five minutes at which point it abruptly cuts off. I have visions of a customer, shaking with undischarged excitement, desperately fumbling for his credit card having miscalculated his timing, while at the next station a stag party have clubbed together for a session and are frantically trying to get everyone 'done' before their time runs out.

The individual service providers all have identity labels which even display their faces. It allows them the dignity of retaining their identity. Unfortunately it also means that contented customers can remember their favourites and recommend them to their friends.

The depiction of the man who is enjoying being serviced here is sexy in itself. His powerful arms and undone, sagging jeans are inviting, especially as his attention is otherwise engaged. 

A glimpse of buttock cleavage wouldn't go amiss! 

Shenguanlin - Wall of the Mummified

This captive is cruelly set the task of solving the riddle of the mummy's wall. The sight before him and the prospect of joining them would intimidate most people. His nudity makes him seem particularly fresh and unspoiled, as do the socks and shoes he's been allowed to keep on. Presumably the rest of his clothes lie in the heap in the background, never to be seen again. 

We've seen the row of mummies before, usefully employed in the Milking Factory 14 post. I find them a little over-dressed and inward-looking in purpose here but I have no doubt the artist greatly enjoyed depicting them. The glimpse of No 4's head over the guard's shoulder is tantalising .

Shenguanlin - Milk Source 1

Sadly, this vivid, solo image does not qualify for the Milking Factory series, but we've previously had a solo Milk Dispenser Kiosk at mitchmen blog. Shenguanlin's fantasy is altogether less wholesome. 

The provider is securely and neatly tied up as we would expect from this artist and he's suspended in the air. He's a butch number too, alluringly clad in a tight tank top/vest which (somewhat irrationally) suggests a product with a strong flavour. So far, so good. 

However it appears that you get your shot of milk strained through the pouch of his jock-strap, which doesn't look like it's seen the inside of a washing machine recently. It's a niche product you might say. Nevertheless, it appears that demand for the stuff is sufficient to warrant placing him in what looks like a smart looking bar/catering facility. The absence of a reservoir for his product suggests he's very responsive to demand. I suppose that is thanks to the encouraging vibrator and the olfactory fantasies he is enjoying from smelly trainers and used underwear.

Shenguanlin - Tied To Posts

This image shows two similarly hunky captives, teammates, tied to posts and endlessly aroused. 

Apparently this is part of their preparation before being suited up for oral services. 

In the background two plastic bags, presumably containing their clothes, await disposal.

This imagery has quite powerful connections with vintage stories of cowboys and jungle explorers taken prisoner by locals and facing extremely unpleasant endings.

Shenguanlin - In The Closet 2

This is a relatively innocuous bondage image but I like it. The characterisation of the captive as some sort of mechanic is different to this artist's usual stereotypes. His overalls are unusual with images associated with automotive repair arranged like a starburst around his crotch to give a 'restrained bulge' effect. Glimpses of skin through little holes suggest internal pressure amplifying external wear. His boots have been removed and his overalls have been opened at the top to reveal muscular shoulders and an earth-coloured vest. Propped up against a post he waits, alarmed and confused. 

Shenguanlin - In The Closet 5

Later images in this series show him fully stripped to reveal a hairy body and extraordinary steam punk tattoo. He's milked along the way of course. We are left to imagine what happens next.

I can't work out what the spike on his shoulder represents.

Read Part 1 of this post

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