Winter is that time of the year where our predilection for a hot cup of soup or tea and thick layers of wool or cashmere is prevalent. We find ourselves preferring to curl up on the couch or in bed, watching the latest episodes of our newly favourite shows on Netflix or getting nostalgic on popular reruns.

Picking up from our last Seasons of Queer shoot, Autumn Dreaming – which featured three street cast Asian guys – Winter Cocooning continues to present street cast talent with Alicia and William stepping in front of the lens. The end result is a sombre and surreal affair where our subjects are wrapped in layers of fabrics, knitwear, fruits and flowers, almost in a state of comatose.

Styled by Genesis Mansilongan, the aim of the series is to spotlight Asian visibility and debunk tired stigmas within the community. Sexual racism against Asian guys – because they are considered less than and un-sexy – is still commonplace, no thanks to Western media’s portrayal of the Asian male archetype – emasculated and a sideshow.

Genesis and I also decided to focus on queer allyship by including a female talent. For a community who has been fighting for inclusion, it also often forgets the significance of it. There has been a long tradition of exclusiveness where only white gay males with chiselled bodies are accepted but over the last few years, with the aid of social media and RuPaul’s Drag Race, the community has open up. In our current divisive time, inclusion and allyship have never been more important.

Model – Alicia and William
Photographer – Henry Ng
Stylist – Genesis Mansilongan