Born in Syria, Jwan Yosef grew up in Sweden, attended university in the United Kingdom, became a world-renowned artist with exhibitions all over the world, married global superstar Ricky Martin, had kids with the singer, and split from their union two years ago. As Yosef releases his first-ever book featuring some of his work from the past two decades, Intimacies feels a perfect title. After all, it's inconceivable that his understanding of intimacy wouldn't be plural."It's funny, Intimacies started as a working title in the very beginning of putting this book together," Yosef tells Out. "The longer we worked on it, the clearer it became to me and the editors, Matthew Holroyd and Brianna Bakke, that it should be the actual title of this monograph. It's also more selected works that all play within the field of 'intimacy,' so it's a little bit more focused on certain series from my practice not a full review of my work."But what does that concept even mean to Yosef? "Intimacy is many things to me: Vulnerability, desire, seduction, and everything within that spectrum," he explains."It's funny," Yosef adds. "Like most artists, I've struggled with the idea of consistency, and often questioned certain paths I've taken in my practice. With this book, however, I realized that consistency is not a problem of mine. It's great to sit down with your work from the past 15 to 20 years and realize, at the age of 40, that I've been lingering in the same subject matter from day one. There's definitely a confidence in that, when you review your own work."Somehow, the various layers and nuances of Yosef's life and career are neatly tied together in a book that does not compromise his artistic perspectives, but also doesn't alienate his newer audience of social media fans who stay tuned for his thirst traps and sense of humor.The erotic but not necessarily explicit pieces created by Yosef over the years tend to keep the more explicit parts out of frame while still making it clear what's happening in each scene. Specifically, the men of Intimacies are shown receiving and delivering pleasure based on their facial expressions, tongues out, and mouthfuls, or the way their legs are raised in a familiar manner, or how some of their faces are buried inside a nondescript orifice.Yosef's artwork adds a sensual he-bangs, he-bangs layer to Alfred Hitchcock's mission statement ("There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it"), but viewers are still asked to imagine what is not shown a deliberate withholding that feels as enticing as watching a burlesque number."It's always about a whisper and a hint," Yosef says. "Not so much because I want to censor the work or be less blunt, but more so to respect the intelligence of my viewers and to allow them to, on their own, imagine what is being played out outside of the frame. I want to create a calm dialog, rather than a loud and brash projection. It's always more exciting to leave space for interpretation. It's sexier, to be honest."Putting together Intimacies with Baron Books took almost a full year, Yosef recalls, between "accumulating images of the works, and the final edit, and the printing of the book," which is divided into three main sections: Object, Touch, and Brush."Those are the three series that have been pretty solid throughout my whole practice," Yosef says. "They're as descriptive to the work's core as it gets. I've always appreciated simple, one-worded, descriptive titles. Within the framework of Intimacies, these series totally struck a chord, and I wanted to highlight these works within the narrative and the play of seduction."Within Object, Yosef's art considers the meaning of an "object" from a few different angles. Besides a blank canvas that looks wet from the oil on linen applied to its surface the series features three completely different men in Yosef's orbit: Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad, whose regime prompted Yosef's parents to move to Sweden; Ahmad, who is Yosef's own father; and Rock Hudson, the closeted Hollywood actor who died in 1985 from complications of AIDS.Judged solely as an object, the presentation of Hafez al-Assad, the dictator, is pretty rough. The canvas is dirty, torn, and beaten up, as if it's been transported without proper care for several decades. Yosef's father, Ahmad, is shown as a happy and hopeful man, but his canvases are wrinkled and just look sort of deflated.In Hudson's case, the canvases don't look as beaten up or as deflated, but rather in a process of being unmasked, unzipped, and undone very slowly, which alludes to Hudson's agonizing last few years on Earth."It's funny," Yosef says in relation to Hudson. "He really unraveled in a series I did back in 2018, playing with the idea of this Hollywood heartthrob and hero that sadly died and deteriorated in front of the world in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. For me, he became this image of a rise and fall, of someone who effectively became a queer icon later, even though he never really came out."Yosef adds, "When I was doing these paintings of Rock, I found out that my studio and home was only a few houses away from his [place] here in Los Angeles. So the spirit of Rock was thoroughly with me in the making of these pieces."Going into the Cave section of the book without knowing its context can be a pretty interesting ride. Here, the framing hyper-focuses on Yosef's chin dimple, which is deep enough in its on-page presentation to perhaps be mistaken for "a vague, seductive hole," as described by Jesse Bandier Firestone in the opening essay of Intimacies.Personally, this optical illusion feels like a spiritual sibling to the cover art of one of my favorite books: The 2009 fiction novel O Pau, by the late Brazilian author Fernanda Young, in which the female author's neck is photographed in a way that resembles a penis. The protagonist of O Pau is not Young, though the author does use her own body in this case, her neck for the book cover.When asked if he ever sees himself in these portraits or paintings where he uses his own body, Yosef is excited about the discourse. "I'm so happy to hear this and so excited that the work speaks to you in this way," he says. "I always imagine someone else in these paintings, even when I work with my own body parts in these super imposed images, like Cave. I like to imagine my own body being a tool, more so than an actual self-representing self-portrait. It's exciting to work with my own body, but I'm often projecting a notion or someone else in these paintings."Beyond the cavernous framing of his chin dimple featured in Intimacies, Yosef feels pretty confident and comfortable sharing occasional thirst traps on social media (which often send the gay internet into overdrive). While many creatives avoid sharing anything risqu out of fear that they wouldn't be taken seriously as artists, Yosef does not share the same concerns. Quite the opposite, actually.In his long-standing pursuit of exploring different mediums, it seems that Yosef is personally interested in expanding his Intimacies universe onto digital spaces, and sees his social media presence as a direct extension of his artistry."To be totally honest, I love to play with this image of also just being an object or an object of desire," Yosef muses. "I take so much pleasure in having my practice, which plays with the notion of seduction, and then get to act that also within my own public image. It becomes a circle complete for me and the work I do."Yosef adds, "I don't mind it all, to be honest. I believe these are two separate tools, but often they elicit the same notion and feeling of desire. It is perfectly fine to be ogled only for my looks if that floats your boat. I might even be flattered." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jwan Yosef (@jwanyosef)After such a spirited discussion about what intimacy means to Yosef and his artistry, which led him to release a book featuring his work from the past two decades, I bring up that the concept of intimacy is ever-changing even with blood relatives, and friends, and in different stages of a relationship like getting married, and having kids, for instance."Yes, no doubt; having kids expands your idea of intimacy," Yosef says. "My kids get to experience me as a father in ways that no other person gets to do. They see a vulnerability that I somehow only get to show them. In some ways, it becomes a privilege for me to be put in that position, to learn about myself and my own boundaries, and I believe that your own kids are the few people in the world that can push you that far."A divorce can also change one's idea of intimacy.Yosef agrees, "New chapters, no matter what they are. In my case, they've given me major pushes and lifts in my work. I've gone through many paradigm-shifts in my life, and I've learned to appreciate them all. They've all lead to bigger and more surprising plans. At the age of 40, I've learned to trust them and to trust myself. If anything, it gives me confidence to constantly change and evolve.""I also have nothing but excitement in becoming single," Yosef adds. "More than anything, I'm feeling super eager to move on to the next projects and chapters in life. Choosing an easy and somber life was never part of the plan for me."Now that Intimacies is on the verge of being released and he can start looking forward to new projects, what's next for Jwan Yosef?"The making of this book came with many ups and downs. It was, if anything, an odyssey that I was happy to undertake," he recalls. "It's one of these milestones in life, I believe, to make my work available for everyone in the shape of a book. Intimacies is a first for me, but definitely not the last."Yosef concludes, "I have a few projects in the making right now. But [I'm] also exploring branches and avenues that are part of my practice at their core, but are taking shape in other forms rather than painting. I would like to say that there is so much more to come, and I'm selfishly excited to share it with all of you."Jwan Yosef's Intimacies can be purchased through Baron Books.