Colour Coded: Inside Trough X_hibition

An exhibition of the seminal artwork from Melbourne’s Trough X party is coming to Sydney’s Gallery Gaffa. And, as dynamic duo John Tsiavis and Nik Dimopoulos tell Garrett Bithell, there’s a fine line between sex and sexy.

The origins of Trough X_hibition span back to 2005 in Melbourne, when Nik Dimopoulos and Timothy Moore first created ‘Trough Faggot Party’ to provide a platform for their DJ friends who weren’t being given the chance to play in the gay clubs. The parties quickly became cult events, and after 21 wildly successful bashes, iconic Melbourne sex-on-site venue Club80 offered to host the party. Hence, ‘Trough X’ was born.

Then came the hanky codes, which for the uninitiated is a form of communication developed in the 1970s for gay men to signal their intentions, desires and fetishes. They were used to identify potential sexual partners.

“Once Trough Faggot Party moved to Club 80, we felt the advertising had to reflect the dance party being held at a sex-on-site venue,” Dimopoulos tells AXN. “We were mindful that in dealing with the themes of sex in advertising and mainstream media, we couldn’t be too sleazy. There’s a fine line between sex and sexy.

“The hanky code themes came about because we wanted to explore sex and fetishes playfully with photography – through colours, props and graphics – rather than explicit depictions of sex. The more absurd the hanky or fetish, the more humorous the imagery becomes. The explicit nature of sex is always softened by humour or creativity.”

To achieve this, Dimopoulos teamed up with John Tsiavis to create the Trough X party artwork. The resulting imagery featured the attending men, and each event was allocated a hanky-code colour, spawning a series that comprises the Trough X_hibition.

“Once the code is decided on, we spend months talking and distilling ideas,” Tsiavis tells AXN. “Sometimes inspiration can come from the most unlikely places. We’ve pulled references and ideas from religious iconography, art history, adverting, YouTube videos, yoga instruction manuals, cinema and porn.”

The models used usually have some connection to the event. “The theme of each hanky code informs the type of guys we use,” Tsiavis continues.

“For example, with hanky code blue there is an appreciation for inked guys, so we focussed on casting various types of tattooed men. We were more lateral with code pink – a pink hanky signals a fetish for spanking, which inspired a sport theme through the use of bats as spanking devices, hence the athletic men.

“It is importance for us to represent the guys who come along to the parties, so we mostly cast guys who attend. Many are friends or friends of friends.”

The intelligently transgressive nature of the shoots is augmented by a strong sense of high fashion and warped perspectives. “We both have fashion background,” Tsiavis says. “I’ve worked as a fashion portrait photographer and Nik as an art director and graphic designer for fashion houses.

“The whole process can be intimidating for the models, but we work hard to create a comfortable environment as they’re often asked to do things that are out of their comfort zone. Overall, it’s a lot of fun and a real bonding day – there’s a great camaraderie between the men that sometimes leads to a few romances!”

Trough X_hibition, including previously unseen images, opens at Gallery Gaffa (281 Clarence Street, Sydney) on February 23, and runs through until March 6.