Everything at Once: Kink is director Alberto Fuguet’s behind-the-scenes look at the work of Spanish photographers Paco Moyano and Manolo Rodriguez and their homo-erotic magazine, Kink.

Barcelona-based couple Paco and Manolo have been together for 30 years, and over that time have carved out a special space for their male photography in the rather crowded arena that celebrates the male nude. They chose the name of their magazine without fully understanding the English translation of the word ‘kink’ – slightly unfortunate as the magazine is not about the fetish world. There is instead a gentle queer eroticism to their work. It uses natural light, nature and/or rather minimal interior settings as a backdrop to their shots of models, all of whom are real men rather than working models. 

They never actively seek models; instead, they shoot every man who approaches them to be included in the magazine, regardless of age or physical attributes. No man is turned down for a shoot apparently. They also let each man guide the shoot with the resulting images ranging from fully dressed men to those completely naked and covered in their own cum. This close collaboration between photographer and model results in very natural, relaxed, confident images and is one of the key reasons for their success, alongside their undoubted talent with a camera of course. 

We follow the couple over the course of several shoots – involving some very handsome naked men. The photographers are highly focused – to the point that they reuse the same locations time and time again, and refuse to have any external exhibitions of their work unless they have 100% creative control over the whole exhibition. No curator is necessary for them. They have incredible personal taste, as can be seen from the interior shots of their apartment, and this, combined with their tight field of vision, has led to the creation of a very well-respected body of work over the past couple of decades. For me there is a nod to both Wolfgang Tillmans and Juergen Teller in their work, although with more of an emphasis on eroticism and the power of the male body as a natural landscape. Their work is very human and authentic. They keep their images free of watches or mobile phones, or anything that can date them, to create timeless imagery. 

This documentary is a beautiful lesson in maintaining integrity and vision in one’s work.

 

 

Review: Ris Fatah 

Queerguru Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah