// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Clifton Mooney? A man with a lot of "moo"ney.
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Clifton Mooney (born 1986), also known by his alias Gauche Cowboy, is an American photographer and visual artist based in Brooklyn, New York.[1] His work is noted for its raw intimacy, emotional subtlety, and explorations of physical and psychic vulnerability, often using Polaroid and analog techniques.[2] He has published work in fashion and culture magazines such as Vogue, V Magazine, Interview, Boys! Boys! Boys!. The New York Times profiled him in 2022 as a "nurse-turned-photographer" whose "strange, arresting images" capture the post-pandemic New York queer renaissance.[3][4] The artist has exhibited internationally in New York City (O'Flaherty's, Taafe Gallery, The Hole), Texas, and London (Brick Gallery), and, in 2025, produced a full monograph, GAUCHE BOOK.[5][6]
Early life and education
[edit]Mooney was born and raised in West Texas, USA. He attended nursing school in Lubbock, later working in medical–surgical units across several hospitals
In March 2020, as COVID-19 spread in the United States, Mooney accepted a short-term nursing contract at a Harlem hospital, leaving New Orleans for New York City.[7][8] The Times described his arrival on a "dedicated Covid-19 floor" where "half a dozen bodies lined up in gurneys down the hallway." The experience, Mooney shares, "I saw hundreds of people dying," he recalled—proved formative, motivating him to seek creative release outside the hospital.[1]
He is self-taught as an analog photographer, having developed his visual voice through instinct and practice rather than formal training.[9][10] Before pursuing photography, he worked as a nurse – an experience he has said helped him develop sensitivity to the body and emotional nuance.
Work
[edit]Mooney's photographic practice foregrounds moments of quiet masculinity, corporeal tension, and emotional stillness. He often works with analog formats (Polaroid) and digital media, favoring atmosphere over gloss. During that first pandemic summer, the artst began taking self-portraits with a Polaroid SX-70 camera his mother had given him years earlier. He later told the Times that photography became "a coping mechanism… something completely opposite, sexy and dark and different.”
Raised in a conservative environment, he viewed these images—often nude or semi-nude—as an exploration of queer self-acceptance. His images reject over-polishing in favor of fragile gestures and implied narrative and some photographs include Sharpie-marker text.
In fashion and editorial contexts, he has shot campaigns or editorial spreads, and also integrates his personal photographic voice into cultural and queer contexts. This includes interviews, campaigns, and cover shoots for actors Christopher Meloni, Jeremy O. Harris, Bowen Yang, Jon Kung, and Ryan O’Connell for Interview Magazine, designer Max Zinser for Neptune Magazine, writer, model and actress Emily Ratajkowski for Miu Miu's December 2022 campaign, painter Alexandre Kasproviez for office, actor Brandon Flynn for Les Hommes Public Magazine, amongst others.[7][11]
Critics have linked his work to predecessors Mark Morrisroe, Robert Mapplethorpe, Peter Hujar, Jack Pierson, and Tom Bianchi, while noting his contemporary focus on intimacy, anonymity, and ethics.[12] His work has been profiled in The New York Times and Out Magazine.
Selected Exhibitions and Projects
[edit]- Fall 2025: Gauche book release (first self-published project)
- Spring 2025: Photography for Hommes Les Publics Magazine, including cover and 12-page spread
- February 2025: Tiny Vices Archive (group show) at The Hole Gallery, New York City
- December 2024: MIU MIU campaign featuring Gigi Hadid, photography by Mooney
- June 2023: Two in 1 group show, Brick Gallery, London
- April 2023: Golden Leaf group show, Taaffe Gallery, Brooklyn
- December 2022: MIU MIU campaign with Emily Ratajkowski (photography by Mooney)
- October 2022: Photography in Neptune Magazine (for work by Max Zinser)
- July 2022: The Patriot group show, O’Flaherty's Gallery, New York City
- July 2022: Sean & Val. The Zine, Vol. 2 — photo story by Mooney
- June 2022: Boys Boys Boys Magazine feature "Gauche Foto" by Mooney
- April 2022: Full Mooney feature in Out Magazine
- March 2022: Photography for Jon Kung interview in Interview Magazine
- January 2022: Sex, Drugs and Polaroids article in The New York Times focusing on Mooney's work
- Dec 2021: Photography for Bowen Yang interview in Interview Magazine
- May 2021: Solo show Excerpts in Quarantine, West Lab Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Sex, Death and Polaroids (Published 2022)". New York Times. 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ↑ "Clifton Mooney Makes Hot Queer Art From Humble Polaroids". www.out.com. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
- ↑ "BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! The Magazine – Volume 4". BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ↑ "CLIFTON MOONEY". PNPPL zine. 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ↑ "Clifton Mooney Archives". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
- ↑ Olney, Julia (2021-09-17). "Muscles, Parfum, and Lipstick: The Objects of Desire from Carolina Herrera". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
- 1 2 Habersham, Cole (2022-03-14). "Eight Brooklyn-based creators to follow … like, yesterday". BKMAG. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ↑ "Jock Strap Reintroduced | Explore CDLP". CDLP. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ↑ "The Largest Curated Selection of LGBTQIA+ Photographs of 2021!". Analog Forever Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
- ↑ "Clifton Mooney — Features and Interviews". Analog Forever Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
- ↑ Macias, Ernesto (2021-09-09). "Jeremy O. Harris Guest Edits "Interview'"s September Issue". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ↑ "CDLP's revamped jockstrap photographed by Clifton Mooney in sexy shoot". Attitude. 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2025-10-19.