The erotic photobook reproducing vintage porn

To be explicit or not to be explicit? That’s what Jurgen Maelfeyt questions in his new book, TOY. Inspired by his personal collection of vintage erotica, the Belgium-based photographer’s latest page-turner features a series of reproduced photographs taken from ​’70s and ​’80s porn magazines.

“The images in this new book may look more explicit, but in the original, they’re actually not. Sometimes you wouldn’t even recognise the original images, because the new image has been changed so much,” Maelfeyt says. ​“When I want to hide something, I can hide it.”

TOY arrives as the third instalment of Maelfeyt’s book trilogy. While still exploring themes of intimacy, desire and the human form, TOY deviates from the on-the-nose titles of his first and second books, WET and FURS, which quite literally explore water and, well, fur, as found in ​’70s porn. ​“There’s actually no toys in this book, they’re just alluded to throughout,” Maelfeyt says. ​“In fact, I wanted to hide a lot more in TOY.”

From images of bodies strewn across sun loungers to close-ups of hands clasping glasses of red wine and stiletto-clad feet tucked under legs on sofas, TOY examines how images in erotic magazines aren’t always about explicit, hardcore sex. They also showcase intimacy in all of its glorious, sexy manifestations.

Maelfeyt toys (pardon the pun) with elements from each photograph. He extracts colour to desaturate sun-drenched bodies and deepens sensually plush interiors, making each shot look as though it was taken in a steamy, darkened corner. And his use of flash photography dresses body parts in a foily mask that both conceals and draws attention to what lies beneath, teasing the viewer.

Maelfeyt took over 200 photographs from his archives before settling on 30 for TOY’s final selection. ​“Editing is about killing all your darlings. Each image you choose has to evoke something on their own, but in a collective, they have to all contribute to an overall, overarching feeling,” he explains. ​“It takes a lot of time to get this down to their final sequence – although, I suppose that’s the best thing about putting a book together.”

Exploring intimacy and desire from behind the lens, Maelfeyt recognises the power of the archival image in bridging generations. TOY breathes new life into images that may have otherwise been lost from a time that predates the digital landscape which we live in today. It’s a testament to sex and that, yes, sex still sells.

Pre-order a copy of TOY at art​pa​pered​i​tions​.com