NEW - BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Zine 6 / Paul McDonald

The catalyst for this series emerged from encounters with private photographs of men in love, taken between 1850 and 1950. Once hidden and unpublished, these images have only recently surfaced through archival publications and exhibitions. They document moments of intimacy that existed in a time when male partnerships were often criminalised – when love itself had to remain unseen.

In response, Paul has reinterpreted and reimagined the compositions of these images, situating them within both natural environments and constructed, interior spaces. Large windows and open, empty rooms become sites of quiet exposure – spaces that invite observation while still holding a sense of concealment. They reflect a tension that persists today: that acts of love, though more visible, are still subject to judgment, and in some parts of the world remain illegal or punishable by death. More than a century on, secrecy continues to function as protection.