THE CABIN
SMUT x Neven GallerySMUT Press is pleased to announce a one-day pop-up exhibition at Neven Gallery, showcasing a series of striking images by photographer Stylian Tastsoglou. These exclusive photographs were captured during SMUT Press' collaborative event Sex Moves Us Together with party and design collective, Playbody, at Algha’s Plantroom on November 9th, 2024.
Commissioned by SMUT Press as part of this event, the 2.5-meter-tall cabin-box fused elements of nightlife and intimate spaces, drawing on both the energy of the rave scene and the architecture of sex-spaces. Its compact design evokes the tight quarters of a toilet stall - a sacred space for many in the rave world - while also referencing the contours of spaces built for more private encounters. The translucent materiality of the box becomes a fulcrum point in itself, inviting a playful interrogation of cruising culture. It offers a moment of privacy for attendees, tucked away from the intensity of the dancefloor, while its bold presence in the room creates an intriguing tension between openness and secrecy that converts those inside the box into exhibitionists and those outside of it into voyeurs. The 3-D molded seats, attached at varying heights to a steel pole in the cabin's centre, encourages participants to contort, connect, and respond physically, making the experience as much about bodily interaction as it is about environment.
Tastsoglou’s dynamic images, caught over the course of the evening, capture individual snapshots of revellers in the cabin. The intimate shots playfully appropriate the format of the photobooth - often a typical space of playful, spontaneous fun - into a visual celebration of queer identity. In doing so, Tastoglou pushes the boundaries of this familiar, casual format, allowing his subjects to present powerful, unapologetic depictions of themselves that challenge the norms of representation.
The Cabin takes place at Neven Gallery on 9th April 2025 from 6pm-9pm. A limited edition zine containing the images shot by Stylian will be available for purchase at Neven Gallery during the event, and here following.
