Sweet Subs

Last fall, Thomas Laconis went shopping at Spit It Out. During the fittings, he discusses with Kriss his passion for photography. This is how the Sweet Subs exhibition was born, currently on display in the store and bar.

Last fall, Thomas Laconis went shopping at Spit It Out. During the fittings, he discusses with Kriss his passion for photography. This is how the Sweet Subs exhibition was born, currently on display in the store and bar.

“I talked about my activity as a photographer specializing in fetishism and urbex, among others for the French magazine AgendaQ. Seduced by I said, Kriss quickly offered to set up an exhibition on a free theme”, explains Thomas Laconis. Going through his archives, he tried to find a common point between several of them. The common thread chosen: submission.

Sweet Subs

The choice of the title of the exhibition comes from a vocabulary error. “Originally, I wanted to title my exhibition "Soumination" (French for something like submination) following a language error: I thought of the word "Submission", but my tongue forked and the word "Submination" came out, thinking the opposite of domination.” Finally, Sweet Subs will come from Kriss' desire to have a more international hook. Sweet evokes sweetness but can we see a contradiction with the interplay between a master and his sub? The artist doesn’t believe it.

“The relationship between the submissive and his dominant remains a relationship imbued with benevolence, despite the harsh or violent aspects agreed. A dominant will always seek to protect his submissive, to take care of him, to ensure his education and his development in his role. It’s an intimate relationship, both physically and mentally. This title is intended to be a tender declaration of love that manifests itself between the submissive and his Master. »

When we see the eyes and looks of the models, we understand this mutual relationship that Thomas Laconis wants to express. “Besides, the point of view is never that of the submissive. They are way too nice to show off in their position! “, adds the photographer.

When fetish meets urbex

The exhibition is an alloy of photography, fetishism and urbex, the three true passions of the French artist who admits to having discovered these three centers of interest at the same time. “I discovered the urbex in 2014, and my first place of exploration was the Dreux sanatorium, typical of the 1930s: in poor condition and covered in graffiti. With my photos of the time, I set up my first exhibition mixing fetishism and urbex, entitled "Sanatorium"“. This exhibition has been presented twice in Paris, in the Mister B shop and then in the basement of the "Les mots à la bouche" bookstore in Le Marais.

AgendaQ

“With hindsight, I realize how artisanal and... naive it was! But it was also a good thing! At that time, my equipment was nothing professional, I managed everything myself: the framing, the development and the models dressed in latex outfits, with the help of friends who posed in other outfits. This experience was exactly the boost I needed.” It’s thanks to this first exhibition that he began a collaboration with the renowned magazine AgendaQ. “Franck offered me to work with him. Nine years later, I'm still here! »

This work required professional equipment and it was a total questioning of the technicality acquired until then, as Thomas Laconis explains. “I was quickly immersed in photo reports during Parisian gay fetish parties, with a new camera without flash and a fixed focal length of 50 mm. I had to relearn everything, forgetting everything I thought I knew. I was almost starting from scratch. All these new constraints (crowded places, night lighting, chaotic atmosphere, no flash, so need to play with ambient lights and the characteristics of my lens...) allowed me to dive into the technical aspects necessary to achieve the photos requested by the editor.” With his artistic flair, he also brought his touch to the history of the magazine with reports of a new kind. “No more flashes that dazzle faces! Make way for portraits, stolen photos, cozy atmospheres.” he says.

His projects

“In 2015, I also seriously started urbex: multi-day trips, real infiltrations with an experienced partner, exceptional places, intact, in a state of decay, exclusive. I learned the codes of conduct, the rules to follow. These were great trips filled with adrenaline (and ripped pants!).” Today, Thomas Laconis continues to produce numerous fetish reports and to explore abandoned places. At the same time, he’s developing new projects based on the experience acquired over the past few years, which will undoubtedly have some nice surprises in store for us in the future.

The work of Thomas Laconis can be discovered through several Instagram accounts, each with its specificities: firstly his personal profile on which the fetish scene holds a large place, another one dedicated to urbex and then his work for the French magazine AgendaQ with which we hope to see him collaborate for a long time.

The Sweet Subs exhibition continues until 16 July at Spit It Out, part in the store and part in the bar. All the photos exhibited are for sale, between 80 and 130€ each.