queer photography

Latest Stories

Susan Kuklin, Kachin and Michael at Michael’s Apartment, 1987

How Pictures Can Shape an Essential History of Queer Life

From photographs of same-sex weddings to HIV/AIDS caretakers, Stephen Vider’s new book shows how queer people redefined gender roles, domestic space, and the politics of intimacy in the twentieth century.
Sunil Gupta, Towards an Indian Gay Image, Qutb Minar 2, 1983

Sunil Gupta’s Vision for a Queer Politics of Belonging

Gupta has spent his career photographing queer subjects in India—and inspired a new generation to insist on making confident, unflinching work.

10 Essential Stories That Illuminate Queer Lives

From JEB’s pathbreaking archive of lesbian photography to Ren Hang’s subversive fantasies, we look back at must-read articles from Aperture’s archive.

Tommy Kha Isn’t Kissing You Back

The Memphis-born photographer navigates performative intimacy, the legacy of the Mississippi Delta Chinese, and the pitfalls of visual language for queer Asian men.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Camp

James Bidgood’s queer and candy-colored photographs were camp before camp was stylish.

The Pain and Pleasure of Queer Life in Egypt

Mahmoud Khaled considers the legacy of the “Cairo 52,” the men who were arrested in 2001 at a gay-friendly nightclub.

A Pioneer of Latinx Identity

Remembering Laura Aguilar’s unapologetically queer bodies.

Queer Looking, Queer Being

How can photography transform representations of non-binary and transgender bodies?

Lola Flash is Ready for Her Moment

In her first retrospective, Lola Flash celebrates queer legacies through vibrant portraiture.

The Queen Unleashed

Lyle Ashton Harris’s archive offers a glimpse of a queer, black ’90s.

Queering “Straight” Photography 

With a rush of color, David Benjamin Sherry’s new photograms gesture to abstract painting and gay history.
Eric Gyamfi, Some of the LGBT community members organize a night of dance, 2016

In Ghana, Visions of Queer Friendship and Love

Eric Gyamfi reflects on his activism, photography, and telling the stories of West Africa’s queer communities.

The Subversive Fantasies of Ren Hang (1987–2017)

Aperture remembers the surprising, defiant work of the Chinese photographer, whose playful vision cleverly pushed the limits of self expression.

Defying Stereotypes, One Post at a Time

The four artists in Torrent Tea are redefining narratives of Black and Queer bodies on the Internet.

Surreal Sexuality

In his staged, gel-lit nudes, Jimmy DeSana explored the body as object.

From Stonewall to AIDS, Framing Queer Desire

A recent forum at MoMA reveals a rich, often-overlooked thread of queer history and photography.
Isaac Julien, Trussed series, 1996

The Pleasure of the Image: A Conversation with Isaac Julien

In a new exhibition, the celebrated filmmaker returns to his pioneering work about queer black identity.

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Aperture 254

This spring, Aperture presents “Counter Histories,” an issue produced in collaboration with Magnum Foundation and informed by their ongoing Counter Histories grant initiative, featuring artists from around the world who tell new stories about how the past informs the present.