ABOUT
My name is Roman and I like to make things. This video will introduce you to me and my work:)
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PAPER MAGAZINE ARTIST PROFILE
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ROMAN DARKHOLME doesn’t need you to know his name to position himself as equal parts sex icon, pop star and fashion fixation.
The queer DIY musician has proven that true innovation
is not impossible under quarantine, it’s tested. In their
new video, Fake Gucci, the multimedia artist emulates a typical campaign for the Italian luxury brand with religious symbolism and elements of ancient paintings. Featuring Darkholme as the main model, it all serves as a backdrop for his new song, “Boy Is Fly.”
The visual depicts Darkholme lost at sea and tied to a ship’s mast with red fabric laid across his naked body. It’s almost hard to believe that he created the visual alone in isolation with limited resources. “In quarantine, artists are having to find new ways to create work with what they have immediately at their disposal,” he says. “Home, alone, and on a budget, I set out to produce a quality fashion film.”
Darkholme continues, “Gucci’s fashion videos are beautiful and engaging, so creating something that approaches their ‘art come to life’ aesthetic was a fun challenge.”
“Boy Is Fly” is a lovestruck ballad with dazzling synthesizers and glistening beat drops. The song, which follows other Darkholme bops like “Fun to Fuck,” seems
to capture a feeling of new love and the excitement of a relationship at its earliest stages. “I want to take you back to my town,” he sings. “I want to show you around.” Though it all seems earnest, Darkholme puts it plainly: “The concept for the song is I’m horny for dick,” he says.
Of Darkholme’s erotic, power-pop musical style, he adds, “I want gay people to have sex to my music, or at least do mouth stuff,” as alluded to in “Boy Is Fly.”
Watch Roman Darkholme’s Fake Gucci film and stream “Boy Is Fly,” below.
