Serge Wesley Bloquert is a French Madagascan photographer and designer based in London. As all Black men can attest to, Bloquert’s experiences were such that he was rarely afforded space to be vulnerable, particularly with other Black men. Intimacy is often positioned as the opposite of masculinity, and therefore the opposite of what men should be. It becomes clearer each day that this social construction of manhood and masculinity lends itself to violence, and so instead of considering it a sign of weakness, Bloquert is attempting to re-frame intimacy as a sign of strength–a necessary affirmation that we are not alone in our struggles, and, in fact, we can overcome them better together.

These ideas are the basis of the photographer’s latest series. Some of the photos show men in embrace, while others give the same intimate sentiment due to how the artist’s lens can find and highlight vulnerability even in a solitary model. Check out the powerful images below!