Interview by: Jennie Bull
Photos by: Zane
Photos by: Zane
@boymuseum X Moody
Step into the captivating fever dream that is boymuseum. Zane, a photographer out of Austin, Texas, delicately showcases the subtle nuances of intimacy and human connection. His striking imagery transports us into a realm where fantasy and reality intertwine. Through his lens, Zane invites us to pause and discover the beauty submerged within the ordinary, where even the littlest things can hold the most profound meaning. The Moody team had the privilege to sit down with the artist to dive deeper into his creative process and inspirations…
J: Hi Zane! Please give our readers a little introduction on your and your work.
Z: My name is Zane, I grew up in the forest, and everything I make is taken on my phone.
J: When did you start getting into photography- and what inspired you to do so?
Z: My mother has photos of me as a child, before I even started school, holding a camera and taking photos.
J: How would you describe your creative process from ideation to execution?
Z: My creative process happens in one of two ways:
a.) I see something that inspires me, and I don’t have time to capture it or don’t have the physical perspective or permission from the person to capture it; so instead, I recreate the moment when I have more control over the environment & permission from the subject.
b.) I have a vision originating in my mind, with no inspiration from real life, and then I try my best to reconstruct the thought.
J: Most pictures on your page are of your girlfriend, Mia- would you say she is your muse? If not, how would you say your relationship influences your work?
Z: I have been taking photos & creating long before I knew Mia, and I find it reductive to claim she is my muse, but my work has become much easier to execute and more often be inspired when I live with someone I love and find beautiful. Our relationship definitely contributes to the overall mood of a lot of my photos and writing because I try as best as I can to capture the moments ranging from tender to offputting.
J: What is your reasoning for excluding faces in the majority of your work?
Z: I would ideally never have a face in my work, but as you’ve noticed, some faces have snuck their way in. I really aim to strip the subject of identity in my photos because I find that most often, a face, body, or identity is the subject, and I hope to never use a subject as a crutch. I hope that makes sense, and if it doesn’t, I’ll explain further. I think most would agree that famous landmarks like the Grand Canyon and the Eiffel Tower are beautiful, but if you look at the millions of photos taken of them, not many appear striking. I think I’d rather try and create the image from my point of view with intention, rather than just point my camera at something that people will agree is beautiful.
J: All of your photos are very raw and intimate- what do you want people to feel when looking through your work?
Z: My only goal with my work is that people feel the feeling when something feels slightly off; one of those moments when you feel like the world is all made up, like you’re the only one alive.
J: A lot of your most breathtaking shots are taken in the dark – what is so captivating about the night?
Z: I tend to shoot at night because, for a lot of my life, I have taken comfort in the dark. When I was young, I was scared of a lot of things, so I felt safe in the dark – it was a place where everywhere was a hiding spot. I have continued to try as hard as I can to put people (e.g., my girlfriend) in the dark to show a contrast between a thing that a lot of people fear (i.e., the dark) with someone who has every reason to fear the night (i.e., a woman).
J: I love your Instagram bio that says, “it’s always bad but it’s worse at night” – as our newest edition of Moody Mag is Midnight, we find this, and honestly most of your work to be so fitting. Can you go into what this quote means to you?
Z: “it’s always bad but it’s worse at night” was the working title for a book that I was supposed to release back in 2019 but which never came to fruition because of financial hurdles. I created this line while writing for the book, and it’s stuck with me since. This ties in with an earlier question you asked about why my photos are mostly taken at night; the “it” in the quote is the illusion of importance (e.g. main character syndrome, grandiosity, etc.), and I think we as a people, including myself, have problems with feeling this way. I’ve found, in my many years of being awake throughout the night, that the feeling becomes much grander at night. A walk through the street, when no one else is awake, is enough to convince you you’re the only person that matters, and the truth comes as harsh when the sun rises, and you remember you’re part of everything.
J: Lastly, What is the origin of your alias- boymuseum?
Z: The alias boymuseum stemmed from the original purpose of my account. I had started by posting minimal architecture on a different account back in 2015, and I wanted another account to try more experimental things with. I created boymuseum as a private account with a tiny following as a place where I would post photos of myself, that is my body, in stark lighting and statuesque poses – hence “boy museum.”
J: Thank you so much for your time! As a long-time follower of your account, it’s truly been an honor to pick your brain.
Zane’s work was featured in Moody Magazine’s Midnight Edition which you can check out here.
Be sure to follow along his journey @boymuseum on Instagram.