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5 August 2024

16 provocative portraits from photo book Looking For Now that ‘celebrate queer longing’

The book is “full of joy, humour, longing, desire and more than a little feeling of tenderness about sex and sexiness" says creator Ashish Gupta

By Jamie Tabberer

A composite of three photos by the photographer the piece is based on. Three intimate portraits of male-presenting people.
Three examples of the intimate photography in Looking For Now (Image: Ashish Gupta)

Fashion designer Ashish Gupta has created a new limited-edition photographic book named Looking For Now for House of Voltaire, the latest in their exclusive collaborations.

Featuring 64 original photographs printed in full colour, the work is an ‘intimate and often provocative document celebrating queer longing’, according to reps.

a nude person shot from behind on a bed with their backside showing
(Image: Ashish Gupta)
a subject in a jockstrap posing before some blinds
(Image: Ashish Gupta)
a subject topless with a jockstrap over their face
(Image: Ashish Gupta)

Released to coincide with Studio Voltaire’s Beryl Cook / Tom of Finland exhibition, all sales support the not-for-profit’s world-renowned artistic and public programmes. 

“Full of joy, humour, longing and desire” – Looking For Now‘s Ashish Gupta

In a statement, Ashish explained his subject matter as being “full of joy, humour, longing, desire and more than a little feeling of tenderness about sex and sexiness.

a person in an orange thong shot from behind and above
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
someone in a jock with legs spread
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
someone in a forest at night with their trousers down
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)

“It’s also about exploring images of sexuality and masculinity, but not just the type of images that we tend to see in the mainstream of gay culture.”

The book is available to order via HouseofVoltaire.org with global shipping or from House of Voltaire’s permanent store in Clapham, London. Scroll on for some of the striking shots inside.

a subject in a hat wearing a grey vest which is in their mouth, they're biting it
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
someone in tiny orange underwear sunbathing on a chair
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
a close up of a person's face, with a chain around their neck
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
a close up of someone lying on a bed
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
a bare backside covered in soap
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
two hands with 'lets kiss' tattooed on the fingers, holding a pair of buttocks
(Image: Ashish Gupta)
A shot of a person with their legs in the air, but only close up of face and a bit of heel visible
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
A bearded subject wearing a harness
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
a nude person shot from behind facing foliage
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)
A ginger beard person in a cap standing in front of a thorny bush
(Image: Ashish Gupta/Looking For Now)

About Ashish

Ashish (b. 1973, Delhi, India) is a designer whose eponymous London-based fashion label has been going for over 20 years. Synonymous with glamour, maximalist design and painstaking craftsmanship, Ashish is a pioneering voice in the fashion industry whose work challenges stereotypes and foregrounds equitable representation, exploring the role that clothing can play in the politics of optimism and inclusion. Known for working in bold, joyful colours and creating clothes which are hand- embroidered in sequins and beads, Ashish’s designs have been worn by global icons, including Beyonce, Debbie Harry, Rihanna, Charli XCX and Taylor Swift. In 2023 Ashish was subject to the major survey exhibition Fall in Love and Be More Tender at William Morris Gallery, London.

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