Old gay men kissing
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Or it’s about an older couple who met during their youth and are lifelong partners. It is a difficult thing to face — aging, death, and the late stages of life so intimately. Intimate moments of caring and kindness are thoughtfully directed as the two men go on dates, strolling through wet markets and seeking refuge in a gay sauna. “They couldn’t do it when they were alive, but they can do it now, and I think that’s really powerful.”
Nini and Treadwell, who have been together for more than 30 years, stumbled upon the first photograph in their collection at an antique shop in Dallas, Texas.
The show, titled “Loving,” is based on the 2020 photography book Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell.
Like his character, Wai-Keung is a real-life advocate for the creation of LGBTQ+ nursing homes. A lot of men, especially those that I included in this book, were kind, open, and excited to work with me on a project.
15 Intimate Portraits of Older Queer Men
Matthew Morrocco knows that the title of his new photo book Complicit, might be triggering to some.
In Yeung’s film, however, it insists that the genre’s lack of such depictions misses a crucial aspect of gay life.
Yeung looks beyond his main characters to include the perspectives of other older gay men in the community.
I wanted to expand on and look through the history of portraiture and visual language in order to make work that expanded what has been as well as inspire what will be.
What did you learn about them/from them while shooting them?
That all men need emotional training. So, there is a real concern about what happens to them.
The male emotional life, or lack thereof, has only recently felt worth deeper investigation.
Morrocco's mission to show the rich emotional lives of aging men (regardless of race) through thoughtfully rendered photographs is less a statement of sexuality, and more an attempt to show men as whole beings; as people who experience tenderness and affection, despite a greater societal pressure to conceal emotional vulnerability.
"I wanted to show a soft side of older men in the hope it might inspire a more comprehensive overhaul of what being 'male' can mean," Morrocco tells PAPER.
“These men came out 30 to 40 years ago and were rejected by their families and have been living alone. “Their sadness and shame” are the story Yeung wants to tell. “He said he was overwhelmed,” says Yeung. Mostly, I think I learned that I am also implicated, or rather, "Complicit," in many of the things I sought to negate and "fix" by making these photographs.
Answering the question of what complicity really entails, Morrocco photographs the aging male body to delve into the themes of responsibility, consent, sexual identity, and ultimately, coming to terms with one's own mortality.
The book also serves as way for Morrocco to explore what could happen to him as he ages. Afterwards, they talk about their struggles growing up during Hong Kong’s rapid modernisation, and Hoi says, “who hasn’t had it tough in our generation?” as Pak drifts away on his lap, a new beginning in their twilight years.
Yeung affectionately details his characters’ warmth and beauty, showing respect and appreciation for their age.
Will they have to give up their cherished possessions – love letters, or in Dior’s case, his gorgeous dresses?