‘God’s Children’ debuts at The Something Machine

The 42-by-72-inch black-and-white silver gelatin print of a lone cross against a stone wall is arresting, mysterious and reverential; next to it, a cross, closer to the eye, is illuminated, with light pouring in like a beacon.

They’re positioned near a series of smaller prints, 35 intimate documentary-style portraits of the LGBTIQ+ community, members of The Royal House of La Beija, taken at the Hottest Winter Birthday Ball Ever in Miami, in 2023, by British photographer and creative director, Andrew Egan.

The two presentations represent a holistic approach to inclusivity.

“The main thing we’re told in life is that we’re all God’s children,” Egan said, referring to his show’s title. “If that’s true, then this show makes perfect sense.”

“God’s Children” is Egan’s first solo exhibit, and The Something Machine’s kickoff this past Saturday already had at least 30 strong at a little past 5 p.m. when it opened, with more flowing in. Many knew Egan. Tiffany, Stefan, and Marcus from Manhattan came, but also Glenn and Julie Marshall from Brookhaven and Bob Rosenthal from Bellport were among the spectators.

Egan is creative director of the CoolGraySeven agency, founded in 2004, providing branding and advertising for clients like Josie Natori and Donna Karan, but also for North Fork vineyards, The Brooklyn Museum, and a magazine for the Accessories Council.

Buttonhole Egan for a conversation; his photography journey is fascinating.

“I just picked up a camera at 13,” the London-born artist said. “My school had a dark room and I used it to print pictures. It got me into art school.”

He divides his time now between Brookhaven hamlet and Manhattan.

Egan’s credits also include projects for Buddhists.

“I designed a logo for Tibet House and worked with the Dalai Lama and the Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan Culture. We did a brochure for them,” he said.

(Based in Dharamsala, India, in the  Himalayas, Norbulingka preserves Tibetan art through self-sustaining means via master tutelage to craftspeople who learn ancestral knowledge, providing jobs to over 300 Tibetans.) “We did a benefit lunch and met the Dalai Lama.” He has also provided designs for the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

The Hottest Winter Ever Ball portraits evolved when Egan was photographing trans models for Strands for Trans, an organization of safe and trans-friendly health and beauty salons, and was introduced to members of the Royal House of LaBeija. (Founded by a prominent gay family in 1968, Crystal and Lottie LaBeija, it was the first ballroom to raise awareness during the HIV/AIDs epidemic and celebrates people of every body type and expression.)

They invited him to capture the dignified, playful, and colorful essences of Miami’s Hottest Winter Birthday Ball Ever participants.

“With this body of work, there was no real endpoint,” he said. “I really shot it for myself. Jeffrey [Uslip] saw this and said I should show it.”

Egan’s career experiences have been a profound mix of people he’s met, and in the diversity and spiritualism of his projects.  He said he is influenced by Catholicism (he was raised Catholic), but is also attracted to Buddhism.

“One cross is made from bound pieces of wood,” he said of “Print 221-1.” With “Print 221-5” next to it, the cross is made from crushed pieces of aluminum flooded by a streaming light. Other scenes in the series feature lug nuts and household nails, whose shadows shape crosses.

“I’m obsessed with crosses,” Egan said. “What I like about these is that they aren’t in a church, although I could also be inspired in a church. It’s not intentional that I won’t do that. I love nuns, priests and portraiture.”

“God’s Children” runs to Aug. 11. The Something Machine is located at 11 Station Road in Bellport. Hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.