LINDEN ARCHIVES

'Linden' was the roving reporter for APN and the Gay Times during the early to mid 1990s, his columns for those magazines were entitled: 'Out & About with Linden'. Stuart Linden Rhodes was also a lecturer at a local further education college, the pseudonym 'Linden' adopted due to concerns generated by draconian Clause 28 legislation sanctioned by Tory governments of the era. At home in North Yorkshire during the Covid lockdowns of 2020-21, Stuart established the Linden Archives online as a way to preserve his work and look back fondly on the brash, thriving gay scene of the 1990s. He is a regular contributor to BBC radio and television. The Guardian, Attitude, Mastermind Magazine and You Otter Know have featured his work.Adam Griffiths is a senior lecturer in graphic design at Manchester School of Art at the Metropolitan University.

"Linden's archival images changed lives. This book is a friend who takes you by the hand and leads you into an incredible party, you're on the guest list and you are absolutely fucking welcome."Russell Tovey - actor and writer, co-creator of Talk Art"Stuart Linden Rhodes' queer photographic portraiture of the 1990s is a joyous, celebratory and stunning affirmation of lives lived to their fullest. His photos are playful, dynamic, wild and very sexy. A beautiful and brilliant collection."Dominic Leclerc - director of Sex Education, Skins, The A Word and The Teacher"In the 1990s, photographer Stuart Linden Rhodes stood unwittingly at the edge of a silent cultural upheaval. Rhodes, through his camera, chronicled this defiant spirit, his images a testament to the exuberance and resilience of a community that refused to be hushed."Gay45"Thirty years ago, gay nightlife in the north of England finally began to rival that of the south. A unique record of gay clubbing at a time that has since become the stuff of legend."David McGillivray for Attitude Magazine"The body of work depicts an abundance of unmitigated queer joy. But it was set against a backdrop of both heartache and suffering caused by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and a militant era of political oppression."DJ Mag"A euphoric deep dive into a thriving queer night life. Naturally, in an era that has imperilled queer night life, Rhodes' photography takes on a greater resonance, the clarity of his images capturing a candid, uninhibited joy that feels increasingly distant."Huck Magazine"Stuart Linden Rhodes' pictures are testaments of a golden era of gay clubbing. His images highlight the joy of queerness in many different guises, even when the AIDS crisis had cast such a dark shadow over the lives of so many."i-D"Stuart Linden Rhodes has been resurrecting the LGBTQ+ nightlife scene of the decade, one IG picture at a time."Vice"A rare glimpse into the hedonistic energy of the gay, northern party scene in the 1990s. Whether you're a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an admirer British documentary photography, this is a must-see."Village Books"A luminous archive of queer life. Rhodes brings together glorious scenes from a fascinating chapter in LGBTQ+ history, when everyone came together in celebration of the community. As these photographs reveal, there is nothing quite so affirming as the freedom of youth and the determination to create your own world. Liberation isn't just protest-it is the celebration of life, of being true to yourself and making space for others to do the same."AnOther