In a Mood for Love. By Xiangyu Dong.

“I was born in Anhui, China, and now live in London. I grew up in a traditional Chinese family. My family values are typically patriarchal. Even though I came out when I was 17, and my parents are OK with my identity now, I still struggle to build intimate relationships. For a long time, I have been very ashamed of my erotic lust as a gay man, and resisted any physical interaction with others. Studying at the Royal College of Art was the starting point where I delved into art-making. I tried various forms of photography, such as fashion, portraits and darkroom experiments.

“In a Mood for Love is about the love and pain of queer intimacy. Building a deep connection with a man prompted me to explore and contemplate the intersection of photography and art therapy in intimate relationships. I present a romantic and embodied auto-fictional narrative by constructing figurative portraits and still lifes with a ritualistic approach. Through this series of photographic diaries, I immersed myself in the re-experience and re-enactment of the relationship’s mood swings and psychological mechanisms, leading to a state of self-awareness and healing.

“There are many interesting stories behind these images. I personally like the cracked egg on the sponge one the most. It was captured after an argument about the housework in the kitchen. I accidentally wiped the table with a dishwashing sponge, which made him mad at me because he has mysophobia. The egg on the sponge is a metaphor for something placed where it is not supposed to be. Plus, the cracked egg is adorable, just like any little glitches between us.”

Xiangyu Dong

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photographs by Xiangju Dong via