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We speak to GHISLAIN PASCAL the Co-Founder & Director of BOYS BOYS BOYS
BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! began in 2018. What inspired you to create the project, and what did you feel was missing from the art and photography world at the time?
BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! started very organically. I co-founded The Little Black Gallery in Chelsea, London in 2008 to represent the legendary photographer Bob Carlos Clarke - who I worked for as his agent until he died in 2006. Our gallery became very famous for selling sexy artworks of girls. That wasn’t my personal taste and over the years as I started building my own art collection I discovered the work of the amazing photographer Tyler Udall. I bought some work from his NYC gallery, we became friends, and I gave him his first exhibition in London. Because our gallery was famous for girls it slightly confused our clientele that we were now showing boys. Around the same time I had a very good friend who was Head of Photographs at the now-defunct online auction house Paddle8. I was buying queer art from her, and said that she should do a queer photo sale. Eventually she got bored of me badgering her and told me to do it myself and so BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! was born and we subsequently held five sales with Paddle8 until they went bankrupt with Tyler as our first boy! I then took the project back and BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! has since morphed into this global project and brand to promote queer and gay fine art photography.
The project now represents more than 90 photographers from 39 countries. Did you ever imagine BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! would grow into such an international platform, and what does that global reach mean to you personally?
It was never my intention for it to become this international platform but my problem is that I can never say no! I am extremely proud of what we have achieved over the years. I want the platform to represent great queer photographers who are not represented from every corner of the globe. So we have photographers from Iran, Palestine, Ukraine, an indigenous photographer from Peru, the list goes on and on. And because we were not representing any photographers from Africa we launched our Africa Scholarship and found an amazing Kenyan photographer Turkan.
You work with photographers from countries including China, India, Iran, Kenya and Russia, where LGBTQ+ people can face serious discrimination and repression. How important is it to provide artists from those countries with a platform for their work and their stories?
This is at the heart of BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! It is part of our DNA to support photographers that are not represented and find it impossible to publish their work in their own countries. I am inspired by the bravery and dedication of these photographers who continue to produce amazing work under the most horrendous circumstances. We also donate $1 from the sale of our magazines and books to charities supporting the LGBTQ+ community and fighting the HIV / AIDS epidemic.
Photography can be both artistic and political, particularly when it depicts queer lives and bodies. Do you see BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! as a form of activism as well as an arts project?
100% - just by existing we are making a statement. The role of BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! is to provide a platform for all our photographers as I believe we are stronger together. Everything we do is to make queer photography part of the mainstream conversation - whether by having our books and magazines distributed all over the world in key retailers like Barnes & Noble in the US or Indigo in Canada. We don’t want to be just pigeon-holed in the ‘gay & lesbian’ section we want to be in the ‘art’ section. I want to normalise queer and gay photography.
Queer photography, particularly work involving the male body and nudity, can still face censorship both online and elsewhere. How much of a challenge is censorship for BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!, and do you think social media platforms apply unfair standards to queer art?
It is a massive challenge and we are constantly fight with these platforms. We’ve had all our accounts permanently removed several times. Most recently our @boysgallerycafelondon account was restricted. I am not a man who suffers defeat easily so we launched a campaign against Meta / Instagram and within a week got it back to working properly. We are lucky that we have a voice and friends in high places, but thousands of others don’t. I have heard of so many artists who have had their accounts permanently removed and never got them back and as a result lost their businesses. We are frankly living in a terrifying society of homophobia and censorship and it is important that we fight back.
BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! has expanded far beyond its original format to include magazines, books, zines, exhibitions, courses, an online platform and now a podcast. How do you decide where to take the project next?
There is no plan - it’s wherever it takes me. Whenever I see an opportunity I go for it - I’d never started a magazine and it proved to be very easy. I vowed never to have a gallery again, yet here we are. The photography courses have been a particular source of pride. We are now entering our sixth year and have discovered some amazing talent - many of whom I have subsequently invited to join BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! I am currently working on a plan with film director Joe Stephenson to launch BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Films to support queer film makers. As you can see, I want BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! world domination!
The first BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery Café opened in Fitzrovia in 2024. What did having a permanent physical space allow you to do that couldn't be achieved through exhibitions, publications and the online platform alone?
I always wanted to create a gallery that wasn’t just bare white walls and intimidating to walk into. Opening BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery Café felt like the perfect space for what I want to achieve with boys - which is make it a cultural hub for the queer community. It also allowed me to indulge my desire to always have my own wine! Weirdly having a bricks and mortar space does bring you credibility and validity - despite the fact that it is the part of the business that loses the most money! I’d love to see a second BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery Café open somewhere else in the world - I think the concept would work very well in NYC where the queer art community is very strong.
Having worked with so many photographers, what excites you when you discover a new artist? Is there something you instinctively look for in a photograph or body of work?
What excites me is discovering someone that has raw talent and passion for their craft. I am always looking for photographers that are creating something different. Too many photographers just think I am looking for pictures of the male nude. I am always also very excited when we find someone from a country that we do not represent.
The political and social climate for LGBTQ+ people varies enormously around the world and, in some places, appears to be becoming increasingly hostile. What role do you think queer artists and cultural organisations have in responding to that?
Firstly I think we are going backwards. With Trump, MAGA, the tech bros, the rise of the right worldwide, it feels like we are under attack and entering dangerous and dark times. Artists have always been at the forefront of representing their communities and fighting back, and the queer community is no different. It is really important that the queer community stands up and fights for all of our rights.
Looking ahead, what ambitions do you still have for BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!, and where would you like to see the project five years from now?
I would like to see more BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery Café’s opening around the world: I’d like to see publishers & galleries & the art world in general start to represent & promote more queer & gay photographers; and I’d like to see more people buying the art not just the magazines & books.