Mythos Series
“Mythos” series by LGBTQ photo artist
“We need myths that will identify the individual not with his local group but with the planet.”
― Joseph Campbell, Power of Myth
Myth has always played a profound role in shaping both individual consciousness and collective understanding. It is a cornerstone of planetary mental integrity, guiding how societies interpret the world and how individuals connect to their inner lives. From early childhood, we grow up with myths; they become the scaffolding upon which we build our perception of reality. As Carl Jung observed, “Myths are original revelations of the preconscious psyche, involuntary statements about unconscious psychic happenings, and anything but allegories of physical processes.”
In this sense, myth is not a relic of the past—it is a living language, essential for every social group and every age. Yet somewhere along the way, we lost the thread of Queer Myth. As an LGBTQ+ photo artist, I believe that direct expression of political issues is vital in both art and social studies. But this does not mean we must abandon myth, especially queer myth. Allegory has always been a vital part of the creative process, offering a symbolic dimension that expands the reach of political and humanitarian messages.
My work does not propose a complete shift into the dream world, but rather an integration: understanding that messages of liberation, justice, and identity can—and should—be delivered through multiple channels. Myth, with its universal resonance, is one of the most powerful approaches to communicate these truths.
This is why I began the project “Queer Myth Renaissance.” Through this work, I seek to reclaim myth as a queer language of transformation, a bridge between the subconscious and the social, between the intimate and the universal. By invoking myth, I aim to reach wider audiences, opening minds and hearts in ways that transcend conventional discourse. Myth allows us to imagine beyond boundaries, to heal, and to envision futures where queer identities are not erased but celebrated as integral to the human story.
Although many of the images created by Boston-based gay photo artist Dmitriy Gushchin have been banned by Instagram and other platforms under the label of “containing nudity,” Dmitriy views this as part of a broader pattern of anti-LGBTQ censorship. What began as his visionary series “Obscure Dream Liberation” has unexpectedly evolved into what he now calls the “Instagram Nightmare”—a confrontation with the limits imposed on queer artistic expression in digital spaces.
At present, Dmitriy’s Instagram account is “shadow blocked,” appearing private to non-subscribers and restricting visibility of his work. Yet this suppression only underscores the urgency of defending LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of expression. Art should never be silenced for its honesty, vulnerability, or celebration of queer identity.
By subscribing and following accounts like Dmitriy’s, you stand in solidarity with queer artists who refuse to be erased. He is not alone—this is a collective struggle, and every voice matters. Together, we can resist censorship and affirm the power of queer creativity.
You can read more in the article linked below.
You can check the article by clicking the link: https://www.advocate.com/business/instagram-shadowbanning-lgbtq-content . Please support your favarite gay photographer and LGBTQ photo artist community by expressing your oppinion to Instagram and other anti-gay social networks. Your oppinion hopefully can make the difference!
Leda after the Swan
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. Leda after the Swan revisits the classical myth from the aftermath rather than the seduction. Encased in a glowing, bubble-like sphere, the figure hovers between vulnerability and control, reaching toward the fallen swan while its glowing skeleton flickers above like a haunting memory. Feathers, neon color, and a single red rose turn the scene into a surreal shrine to desire, violence, and survival. The work reclaims Leda’s story through a contemporary queer lens, shifting the focus from the god’s power to the enduring presence of the one who was touched.
Queen of Hearts
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. In Queen of Hearts, a gender-fluid Black figure rises in a swirl of dreamlike smoke, suspended between intimacy and myth. Their luminous crown, fractured heart, and the room’s ghostly statues speak to desire, vulnerability, and the reclaiming of symbols long reserved for white archetypes. Blending sensuality with surreal fantasy, the work reframes the classic “queen” as a declaration of queer self-creation and emotional sovereignty.
Of Bats, Cats and Diamonds
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. In this neon-soaked passage of seduction and danger, a gender-bent reimagining of Catwoman emerges—part trickster, part icon—challenging the boundaries of identity and desire. Diamonds spill like stolen truths, while a bat hovers above as both omen and accomplice, echoing the Batman mythology that shadows the scene. This work fuses queer sensuality, comic-book lore, and urban surrealism, transforming an industrial stairwell into a stage where power, play, and self-invention glitter against the brick walls.
Queen of Spades
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer In Queen of Spades, a queer male figure claims a traditionally feminine archetype and transforms it into a symbol of self-possessed power. The image reframes the iconic card as a site of queer sovereignty—blending elegance, tension, and a touch of danger. Through posture, gaze, and stylized symbolism, the work challenges conventional roles while celebrating gender fluidity and self-defined identity. Queen of Spades becomes both a persona and a proclamation: power is not inherited but embodied.
Little Prince
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer. Little Prince reimagines a beloved literary icon through a queer, cosmic lens. A young figure reclines on ancient stone steps, their harness and platform boots transforming them into a symbol of queer self-possession and vulnerability. Above their outstretched hand floats a radiant planet—an entire world held in a gesture, suggesting the power LGBTQ+ people have to shape their own universes despite inherited boundaries. Nearby, another glowing sphere encases a single red rose, honoring the original tale while recasting it as a symbol of queer love, devotion, and chosen connection. In the lower right corner, a pair of fox ears appears—a subtle, playful tribute to the story’s most iconic companion, now woven into a surreal queer dreamscape. Little Prince becomes an act of reclamation: a myth transformed into a celebration of queer imagination, resilience, and the worlds we dare to create.
Prometheus
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer Prometheus reimagines the ancient myth through a bold, gender-bending lens. Set within a vast, industrial environment that resembles the interior of an alien spacecraft, the figure reaches upward to grasp a blazing sphere of stolen cosmic fire. Their body is wrapped in swirling energy, transforming the act of rebellion into an expression of queer resilience and creation. In this retelling, Prometheus is no longer a bound titan but a liberated, empowered body—claiming light not for humankind alone, but for all who have been denied visibility, safety, and self-determination. The metallic labyrinth around them becomes a symbol of societal machinery, rigid and oppressive, while the luminous flames they command evoke the transformative power of queer imagination. Prometheus celebrates the courage to seize one’s own fire—to defy imposed roles, transcend binaries, and illuminate new futures forged in authenticity and defiance.
Tango
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer "Tango" emerged from a mysterious visual dialogue between two talented young models I photographed during a visit to New York City. Though their images were taken separately and they never met, a subtle, almost magnetic connection seemed to thread their presences together. Through digital layering and manipulation, this work brings that unspoken resonance into view — a dance of mirrored energy, intimacy, and imagined encounter across space and time.
Macbeth
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. Macbeth offers a queer, contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy. Inspired by a recent Broadway production in which actors seamlessly shifted between roles, Dmitriy merges Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into a single gender-neutral performer—embodying the full spectrum of ambition, desire, fragility, and fate. The figure sits in an opulent, dreamlike chamber, their pose tense with both power and uncertainty. Above them, a blurred, swirling mass forms a colossal crown—a visual metaphor for the overwhelming force of destiny and the crushing weight of ambition. Ghostlike figures move through the scene, echoing fractured identity, shifting roles, and the haunting psychological unraveling central to the play. The blood-stained dagger at their feet grounds the image in the tragedy’s violent core. This reinterpretation celebrates gender fluidity and the queer tradition of reinventing classic stories—reframing Macbeth as a tale of identity tested, ambition awakened, and the perilous seduction of power.
Salome (collaboration with Yoahn Han)
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer YoAhn Han yupo cutout "Salome" reinterprets the biblical tale of desire, power, and consequence through a modern, provocative gaze. By placing this legendary figure in a contemporary visual language, the work explores themes of allure, agency, and the complex interplay between longing and judgment. Drawing on ancient narrative and present-day identity, Salome becomes a reflection on who gets to tell stories of passion and power — and how those stories shift when seen through a queer, self-determined lens.
Mata Hari
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. Mata Hari pays homage to the legendary performer Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod, whose life, artistry, and unjust execution have long fascinated Dmitriy. Once celebrated for her exotic dance and fearless self-invention, Mata Hari was later scapegoated—MI5 documents declassified in 2001 and French government papers released in 2017 strongly suggest that her 1917 execution was based on politics, not proof. Even the bizarre disappearance of her preserved head in the 1950s underscores how history has repeatedly mishandled her legacy. This artwork reimagines Mata Hari’s spirit through a queer lens: three figures embody glamour, performance, seduction, and defiance inside a richly lit salon. Their high-heeled stances, glittering costumes, and commanding presence evoke a lineage of performers who—like Mata Hari—crafted their own identities against rigid societal expectations. Mata Hari becomes a tribute not only to a misunderstood icon, but to all queer bodies who have been punished for their audacity, their beauty, and their refusal to conform.
Napoleon’s Dream
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer In Napoleon’s Dream, the model embodies the theatrical shadow of power rather than a literal Napoleon. The figure becomes a dream-image of ambition, conquest, and the fragile illusions of control. Created under the emotional weight of the war in Ukraine, the work reflects how old imperial fantasies still echo through modern conflicts. Here, the dream of dominance dissolves into surreal light and drifting motion, revealing the human vulnerability beneath every empire’s pride.
Desdemona
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. In this reimagining of Othello, Desdemona is portrayed by a gender-fluid Black model, reversing the play’s original racial dynamic. Their presence challenges traditional ideas of innocence, power, and identity, transforming Desdemona into a figure of resilience and self-definition.
Romeo and Juliet
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer Boston based artist's modern gay take on William Shakespeare's play. This is yet another photo which doesn't contain any nudity and banned by Instagram's AI. You can still find censored version there. The artist believes the ban came rather in violation of LGBTQ+ rights as in the artist's opinion Instagram and other sites peruse on everyday basis. The other much more provocative and really nude non-LGBTQ photos are OK on Instagram! Welcome to hate-free site where you can enjoy LGBTQ art without censorship!
Ophelia
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer "Ophelia" reimagines Shakespeare’s tragic heroine through a contemporary gay perspective while echoing the original queerness of the Globe Theatre, where all female roles were performed by men. This image recalls that layered history, transforming Ophelia into a modern emblem of queer vulnerability and emotional truth. Immersed in water and light, the portrait speaks to love, loss, and identity’s fluid borders, reclaiming a character often silenced and giving her new resonance through a distinctly queer lens.
Saint George
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. Boston-based gay artist reimagines the forgotten origins of Saint George with a contemporary twist. In this version, St. George is portrayed by a Black model, reclaiming the legend through a fresh cultural lens. While the original myth describes George saving a princess from a dragon, modern retellings have erased her, turning the story into a vague allegory of ‘saving humanity.’ Here, the beast returns—not as a literal dragon, but as a techno-punk flash of chaotic energy—an embodiment of modern fears and digital monstrosity. This reinterpretation restores the narrative’s complexity while transforming the hero into a figure of queer, modern resilience.
Hamlet
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer "Hamlet" reimagines Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy through a contemporary queer lens, transforming the existential prince into a modern expression of gay identity and inner conflict. This image channels the play’s tension between desire, duty, and self-doubt while foregrounding queer presence at the heart of a story traditionally told through heteronormative frames. By weaving classic drama with personal and cultural reflection, Hamlet invites us to see familiar mythos renewed — where the search for truth, belonging, and self-definition becomes unmistakably queer.
The Secret
Dmitriy Gushchin, photographer. "Secret" unfolds as a symbolic portrait of divided desire: two versions of the same model engaged in an intimate act on the bed, while a third self slips out from beneath it holding a pair of men’s underwear. These multiplied figures become emblems of consciousness, shadow, and longing — the selves we reveal, the selves we hide, and the urges that surface from beneath our carefully arranged identities. The image suggests that desire is never singular; it radiates in layers, each carrying its own quiet truth.
Hotel “Desire”
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer
Selene’s Call
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer "Selene’s Call" reimagines the ancient Greek myth of Selene and Endymion as a meditation on longing, vulnerability, and endurance in a world that often refuses queer existence. Captured in Bangkok and set against the timeless stillness of Thailand’s deep forest, the composition evokes both celestial yearning and grounded presence. The figure’s contemplative gaze bridges myth and modernity, reflecting the queer community’s search for sanctuary and the resilience required to remain visible amid global political hostility. Here, myth becomes mirror — ancient stories refracted through contemporary struggle, desire, and the quiet power of being.
The Spiral
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer "The Spiral" visualizes a turning meditation on gender, identity, and the shifting politics that shape queer lives. A single figure appears caught within a rising or descending spiral of thought, while the soft presence of "Selene’s Call" in the background deepens the emotional atmosphere. In a time when global hostility toward LGBTQ+ people has intensified — met too often with public silence — this work poses a critical question: is society’s understanding of gender expanding or contracting? Suspended between ascent and decline, The Spiral invites viewers to confront that uncertainty and the ongoing struggle for visibility and dignity.
Memories of Narcissus
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer
Rose Thorn and Puppy
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer
The Ghost
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer
Dream of Luna Moth
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer
Ganymede
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer
The Legend of Ching Shih / Zheng Yi Sao
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer
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