A Glint In The Kindling

In A Glint In The Kindling, photographs are made to affirm a coming reality. Transgressing against set gender roles, Michael imagines new ways of being within the confines of a binary. Existing both as subject and photographer, the images present these personal truths shaped by the imagination.

Many of the pictures feature the garage, basement, or studio of Bailey-Gates’ home, where inventive sets expose the frame of the image to include their construction. It is this transparency in the image-making that reflects the subjects within. The works invite us, not just to a world beyond, but to one which already shines through the cracks of this one.

The thirty-five images, presented almost entirely in black and white, feature a close circle of recurring collaborators and artists such as Bobbi Menuez, Hayden Dunham, Torraine Futurum, and King Princess, along with a foreword contributed from Cyrus Dunham.

While the work of Bailey-Gates can be found in publications such as Vogue, Dazed and Love Magazine, A Glint In The Kindling is the first opportunity to see Bailey-Gates’ unique approach to portraiture presented in a dedicated book. The book release coincides with a solo exhibition of the same name at The Ravestijn Gallery in Amsterdam, premiering at Unseen 2021.