This week, we’re revisiting an interview with photographer Robert Andy Coombs, originally published in April 2021. Robert’s work focuses on disability and sexuality, with an emphasis on intimacy and representation. In this interview, he discusses his relationship with casual nudity, the inspiration behind his art, and the challenges and opportunities he’s faced in his photographic practice.
Artist Interview
Natural Pursuits (NP): What’s your relationship with casual nudity?
Robert Andy Coombs (RAC): Ever since I was little, I was obsessed with nudity and being nude, whether it was by myself or with my friends. Growing up in the middle of nowhere Michigan, there are plenty of places that are quite secluded, so skinny-dipping and frolicking naked through the woods was something I loved doing.
There is just something about being completely free of clothes. I love hanging around with lovers and friends and just enjoying our bodies and how they look.
NP: Tell me about your reasons for incorporating the naked male form into your work?
RAC: I am just so attracted to the male form. I am constantly checking out guys on the street, looking them up and down. I’m fascinated by how I am continuously excited by the male form.
NP: Preaching to the choir, my friend.
RAC: I’ve always wanted to see more representation of the nude male in the media—even when I was a young gay boy, because all my straight friends had plenty of movies and other media that showcased the female form.
I think within recent years it’s become quite popular to finally show nude man in movies and TV shows. I really like showing the male body casually without a lot of flexing or dowsing them in oil, for some reason I just like the relaxed look.
NP: Your work explores disability and sexuality. The images I chose for this piece focus less on overt sexuality and more on intimacy and physical touch. Can you talk about how those things are impacted by disability?
RAC: Being physically disabled there are a few factors of why we crave touch so much. I get a lot of transactional touching with my caregivers and people taking care of me. However, it’s not the intimate touch I would like, it is to get me up and going for the day.
There are also quite a few barriers that impede physical touch. My power wheelchair with all the apparatuses can get in the way of physical touch. A lot of the time people don’t want to touch me or my chair because they don’t want to mess anything up or cause physical harm.
Some bodies with physical disabilities are a bit more delicate, but I don’t mind being roughed up a little bit. We just like to be caressed, kissed, held and embraced just like everyone else, but often we are deprived of this mostly to ignorance and unwillingness to learn more about us.
NP: For your series cripfag, you are the subject of the photos. Can you talk about the process of shooting yourself.
RAC: Ever since I started photography, I have always photographed my body with and without clothes, so I never thought I needed to stop just because of my disability.
People like me with physical disabilities are unable to stand up and check themselves out in the mirror, so it’s a lot harder for us to explore our bodies and see what it looks like. Photographing my body allows me to see what my body looks like at all angles and appreciate my body for what it is!
I want to encourage others who I like me to find someone they feel comfortable with and photograph their bodies so they can see what they look like and fell in love with their bodies to.
NP: Similarly, you’re frequently nude or having sex in these photos, both of which require a lot openness to vulnerability. Tell me more about why you chose to share so much of yourself with the world.
RAC: I have always been an open book and love sharing aspects of my life. I am very open sexually and have a large variety of sexual interests including being an exhibitionist. I knew I could push myself and be comfortable with photographing myself in intimate and sexual scenarios, so using myself was kind of a no-brainer. I enjoy being behind and in front of the camera.
NP: You recently moved to Miami. How did you end up there?
RAC: I moved from new haven to Miami after graduating with my masters from Yale. I was thinking about moving to New York; however, it just wasn’t a feasible dream. I need a building with an elevator and those come a price that I cannot afford.
I have always wanted to move to Miami because of the weather and it being a large city. Miami has a completely different vibe then the Northeast. No shoes, no shirt, and just a thong is A-OK here!
I am always extremely cold, so being down here has opened a world of opportunity by being able to not only photograph all year round outside, but I don’t have to bundle up in a bunch of layers in order to keep warm. That and the men down here are absolutely gorgeous, and everyone love showing off what they have.
About the Artist
About the ArtistRobert Andy Coombs was born and raised in Michigan’s upper peninsula in a little town bordering Wisconsin. Being a closeted gay male in a conservative rural environment, Coombs couldn’t wait to leave his small town behind. He received a scholarship to Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids where he studied photography and started living authentically as a gay male. In 2009, during a trampoline training accident, Coombs landed on the back of his neck resulting in a spinal cord injury. After a short year at home, Coombs returned to KCAD in 2010 and completed his BFA in 2013. During those years disability and sexuality emerged as a main subject for him. He then went to study at the Yale University School of Art where he continued the exploration of disability and sexuality with a focus on documenting his intimate relationships with friends and lovers. After receiving his MFA in 2020, Coombs relocated to Miami Florida where he continues his photographic practice in the sun.
Website: www.robertandycoombs.com
Insta: @robertandycoombs_
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