Tribute to the Life of Carlos Batts
An Artist and Friend of Many, Author of Groundbreaking Books
Carlos Batts and his wife April were great friend of Dream Pleasure Tours. Together they helped us with a number of events in Los Angeles, and also helped us to produce our Cirque Erotique Week at Hedonism II.The following article by Lady Monster, which appeared in the Columbus Free Press in October 2013, sums up the life and imprint of this amazing person:
The sex-positive community lost a fearless leader, Carlos Batts. This beloved artist passed away at the age of 40. His work and spirit touched many of us, leaving us stunned and saddened by his sudden departure.
An award-winning artist, photographer and director, Batts' artwork has appeared on book covers, fashion magazines, music videos, comic books and movies. Carlos has three internationally distributed hardbound coffee table books; “Wild Skin,” “Crazy Sexy Hollywood” and “American Gothing” that document a wide variety of sub-cultures. Batts directed independent features; Voluptuous Biker Babes, Kiss Attack, Young Hollywood as well as underground art films: American Gothic, Alter Ego and Voluptuous Life that are distributed through various mainstream outlets. Born in Baltimore, Batts lived and created in Hollywood with his muse and wife, April Flores.
Carlos Batts directed successful independent features that are available through various sophisticated commercial media outlets.
Among an ever-expanding universe of other forums, in addition to photography, Batts directed short films and curated photography and street art exhibits.
A few days before he passed away, Carlos and April celebrated the release of their new book, “Fat Girl” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
“Fat Girl” is a never before seen collection of photography over a 12 year period in the life of model April Flores by Batts. They worked on this together, creating a photographic retrospective on their relationship. Intimate and kept private throughout their career together, it is finally available for all to see in one book. April Flores is widely followed on Twitter as @Fatty_D. She has claimed herself as a Fat Girl, empowering the word, rather than being insulted by it. Fat Girl is available via Amazon.com .
All of the work created by Batts, that features his wife, displays every inch of her incredible beauty. His images of her immediately change perspectives on beauty - how a woman should look. This loving portrayal, and the way she reverberates sexuality, illuminates anyone taking a moment to indulge in this gift.
Carlos was inspired to give this gift to the world, changing the landscape of the adult entertainment industry. Eyefuls of gorgeous curves, steamy with love, intimacy and groundbreaking cinematography and sound scapes (using either no, or very little dialogue). Losing him, we are losing a true artist who revolutionized how some women are showcased in porn. Thankfully some filmmakers, such as Courtney Trouble, learned a great deal from his mentoring and friendship and can carry out similar visions.
I had the honor of meeting Flores and Batts at a Good Vibrations store in San Francisco in 2009. My first impression: I was struck by how palpable their love was. That such a love was possible between two people inspired me. Working with them, they invited me to appear in Dangerous Curves, twirling fire tassels in the Pacific Ocean. We were also panelists at Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens' Ecosexual Symposium in Santa Cruz in October 2010. I am a changed person for how much beauty they both gave to me every time I was in their presence. Thank you for being in my life, and my deepest condolences to all who loved and knew him personally. Carlos Batts is survived by his loving wife and muse, April.
Editors Note: This Article originally appeared Oct, 2013. The Memorial Drive is no longer active.
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