With few examples of happy, openly queer lives to look back on before the 1970s — and even less visual evidence of them — Finley creates an alternative narrative for the uncle he never had the chance to know.
It is a life story in which fluidity in sexuality and gender is accepted as the norm: a life filled with friendship, adventure, authenticity, and love.
It is also the kind of story that would have profoundly impacted him as a young gay man struggling to understand himself in a world where representation was scarce.
Finley recently discovered that an uncle he never met may have been gay. He became fascinated by the possibility that someone within his own family may have experienced struggles similar to those he faced while coming out. Because his parents divorced when he was a baby, his father’s side of the family remained largely unknown to him. Rather than treating this absence of information as a limitation, he transformed it into an opportunity to imagine and reconstruct a different kind of life for this uncle — not one defined by fear and repression, but by joy, freedom, and emotional openness.
By collecting found snapshot photographs from around the world, Finley assembled a visual archive that captures the imagined life of “Uncle Ken”: posing with playful confidence as a teenager, sharing a loving kiss at his wedding, or simply existing within ordinary moments among friends and lovers. Each image is carefully selected to build an emotional and believable portrait of a life that could have existed. Alongside the photographs, he incorporates ephemera and fabricated letters exchanged between Uncle Ken and his loved ones, expanding and deepening the fictional narrative.
Finley further transforms the photographs through the addition of glitter and rhinestones, referencing the long history of queer nightlife, drag culture, and performative self-expression. These interventions infuse the images with joy, celebration, and emotional vitality. The project ultimately becomes not only a tribute to what Uncle Ken’s life might have been, but also a reflection on what queer lives — and society itself — still have the potential to become.
About Matthew Finley
Matthew Finley (b. 1972) uses a variety of photographic processes to communicate his life experiences and create emotional connections with viewers.
Growing up queer, Finley’s experiences of loneliness and separation from the world around him fostered both a fear of being singled out and a deep desire to truly see and be seen by others. As an adult living with social anxiety, he considers the studio a safe space where he can be vulnerable and express his authentic self while engaging in dialogue with an audience. Creating and exhibiting his work has become a way of forging connections with viewers beyond the pressures of traditional social interaction.
His photography tells autobiographical stories that convey emotional honesty and personal experience. Through his work, he addresses themes such as his coming-out journey, intimate relationships, and the healing power of nature.
Matthew Finley’s images serve as conduits for expressing deeply personal emotions that might otherwise remain unspoken, while also opening a dialogue around queer identity, personal growth, and universal emotional experiences. [Official Website]
