The Kentucky Gentleman

Untitled (Normal)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Rob)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Eric)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Miami Bryce)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Painter)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

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Untitled (Bellman)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Jermaine)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Japanese Student)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Mr.Wu)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

Untitled (Cohen)

Archival Lamda Print on Kodak Paper
12" x 12"
2007

The Kentucky Gentleman Series How do we perceive ourselves?  And how does everyone else perceive us?  Is ethnic composition the defining factor?  What part does our upbringing, our class, or even our hairstyle play?  And how do the presumptions and reactions of the public affect how we see ourselves?

In The Kentucky Gentlemen Series, Hudson aims to catch the viewer in some level of profiling and preconception.  With the levity of disguise, he hopes that viewing an individual as multiple races allows us to enjoy the transformation, yet leave us contemplating the complexities of race and class stereotypes, as well as the depth of our identity.

By dealing with the weighty subject of ethnicity through the dissection and multiplication of his own identity, Hudson sheds a humorous light on a contentious issue.  Using makeup, wigs, and wardrobe, he is able to vastly change the superficial ‘first impression’ that he presents to the world.

Hudson was compelled to create the Kentucky Gentlemen Series as a comment on his ethnic heritage and the experiences connected to that heritage.  As a member of contemporary American society with a difficult to define ethnic makeup, Hudson hopes to leave us all questioning the discord between what comprises us as individuals and what outsiders might see.

— Stephanie Brothers