x10 postcards, Colour printing, Housed in box, 2023

‘What Began As Desire’ presents the works of ten artists within the intimate format of an A5 postcard. Comprised of works by David Lindert, Issey Goold, Michele Baron, Léann Herlihy, Tobias Huschka, Augustin Puzio, Brian Teeling, Tyler Kelly, Kyle Quinn, and Simon Dyer & Nicholas Flanagan - many of the images depicted within this project address a blurring of distinctions between a public and private sphere. Derived from the penultimate line of Allan Ginsberg’s 1986 poem ‘Written In My Dreams’, this project’s title is intended to reflect and speak to the limitless possibilities and emancipatory potential in articulating and sharing our desires. Whether it be a naked body standing on a pathway, a dancer at a vogue ballroom turning mid-pose towards the camera, or an open drawer revealing the detritus of pleasure; these moments provoke questions about the fraught nature of visibility within the lives of subcultural communities. This selection of postcards are prefaced by ‘Postcards to Friends,' an essay by Irish curator and writer Iarlaith Ní Fheorais which is presented within a sealed envelope, enclosed within a stamped outer shell. Ní Fheorais’s text considers this means and format of communication in which images and text are addressed for singular consumption but have the potential to be viewed by any and all. Her essay also touches on the particular complexities of queer friendships. Friendships that are often defined by stories of migration and geographical separation, fuelled by the perennial hope of better pastures and connections elsewhere. 30% of profits from this project will be donated to Mermaids, a leading UK charity that supports transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse children and young people as well as their families and professionals involved in their care through secure online communities, local community groups, helpline services, web resources, events and residential weekends.

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