Intimates, 2026

A row of freshly washed clothes hangs from an inner-city apartment, the city stretching out behind them. At first, there is nothing unusual about the scene, everyday clothes, a domestic routine, an ordinary part of life. But among them hangs a red thong. An intimate garment, usually worn beneath what we present to the outside world, is something rarely seen. Here, it sits openly among the clothes we choose to show. For queer people, this can speak to the experience of moving through a heteronormative world while keeping parts of ourselves private. There can be a difference between what we wear, express and experience, and what we feel comfortable making visible. The red thong becomes a small interruption to the everyday, a glimpse of queerness in plain sight, without needing to announce itself.

Xavier Doyle is a Melbourne/Naarm-based photographer exploring queer identity, subcultures, nightlife and contemporary youth culture. Working across portraiture, fashion and documentary photography, his practice blends candid observation with an editorial sensibility. His work considers ideas of belonging, self-expression and the spaces where people feel free to exist as themselves. Xavier’s work has been exhibited and published in Australia and internationally, including exhibitions in Melbourne and Berlin.