Trick or Treat,  It's Hot Boy Halloween
'Kit et Paris' © by Michael Epps Courtesy of BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!

Trick or Treat, It's Hot Boy Halloween

BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! is neither a pep rally cry nor the cheers of teenage pop band's fans but a fine art photography program launched in 2018 by editor Ghislain Pascal, a former celebrity publicist, and curator of The Little Black Gallery in London, England. In celebration of the third printing of the "BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!" hardcover anthology as well as the sixth volume of the magazine of the same name, Pascal is bringing a collection of daring, flesh-revealing, and provocative show of photography celebrating the masculine form to Craven Contemporary in Kent, Conn., for a pop-up exhibition opening with a reception on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. 

With a global range of talent, including Alexander Courtman from Germany, Sean Patrick Waters from America, and Mauricio A. Rodriguez from Venezuela, BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! is a unique collective acquiring images of men exclusively from the portfolios of gay and queer-identifying male photographers.

"Many magazines and online platforms have pictures of beautiful men, but I wouldn't necessarily decide they fit my criteria," Pascal said over a Zoom interview from his home in France. "They're just photographs, not fine art. It's a very difficult line that I tread in making my selection. You can also go all the way to the other side of the spectrum where it can go too far. Is it fine art… or is it now pornography? It is hard. It's not an easy decision to make."

Expect leather, glitter, nature, and plenty of skin; Pascal's selections for the show are equally confident and erotic, but how to define the artistic lens of "gay photography" is a murkier question. Is it about desire, intimacy, an understanding of masculinity and the male form that connects both artist and the subject? "For me," Pascal said, "there's one photographer that I think will always be defined as groundbreaking and setting the mold for what photography for queer and gay men means, and that's, say it with me, Robert Mapplethorpe. His work is still breaking barriers today."

On view through Nov. 5.

Latest News

Foreign exchange students reflect on a year in the U.S.

Charlie Castellanos, left, and Allegra Ferri, right, sitting in the HVRHS library to talk about their experiences in the U.S.

Anna Gillette
“I would say if you are thinking about doing the program, do it because you get out of your comfort zone and learn so many things...” —Charlie Castellanos

Every year, Housatonic Valley Regional High School welcomes foreign exchange students to attend classes through the AFS Intercultural Programs. This school year, two students traveled to Northwest Connecticut to immerse themselves in American life and culture. Allegra Ferri, a 17-year-old from Italy, and 16-year-old Charlie Castellanos from Colombia sat down to reflect on their experience at HVRHS. As the academic year is coming to an end, they shared a few highlights of their time in the U.S. and offered advice to prospective exchange students.

What has been your favorite part of your exchange experience?

Allegra: “My favorite part of this exchange year was coming here and experiencing an American high school.”

Keep ReadingShow less
HVRHS students bring back student newspaper
From left, Ibby Sadeh, Anna Gillette, Nathan Miller, Maddy Johnson and Caitlin Hanlon proof the pages of HVRHS Today at the Lakeville Journal office while Shanaya Duprey teleconferences in on Thursday, May 29.
James H. Clark

Students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School wrote and produced the inaugural edition of HVRHS Today, a new publication by and for students in the Northwest Corner.

This inaugural issue of HVRHS Today marks the first student-led journalism effort at the high school in several years. The program is a collaboration between the Lakeville Journal, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the 21st Century Fund.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mountaineers take second place in WCLC

WATERTOWN — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls lacrosse played Watertown High School for the Western Connecticut Lacrosse Conference championship Wednesday, May 28.

The cold, rainy game went back and forth with three ties and three lead changes. Watertown was ahead when it counted and earned a 6-4 victory to claim the league title.

Keep ReadingShow less