SMUT Press, the London-based independent publisher with Irish roots, continues its mission to platform queer artists with the release of Cruising Archaeology II: Eurotrash, the highly anticipated follow-up to its 2024 cult favourite. Known for its commitment to amplifying contemporary queer voices through print and exhibition-making, the press now marks its tenth publication with a project that is as expansive as it is intimate.
Building on the foundations of the original Cruising Archaeology, this new edition widens its geographical and conceptual scope. Traversing cities including Berlin, Athens, Dublin, Barcelona and Paris, Eurotrash maps the diverse terrains of queer cruising culture from woodland paths and public toilets to beaches, gardens and clubs. These spaces are reframed as sites of creativity, resistance and connection, where desire is shaped by both urban infrastructure and the natural environment.
At the heart of the publication is a compelling interplay between image and text. Vivid scans of found objects, remnants of fleeting encounters, are paired with essays and interviews that situate these artefacts within broader cultural and political contexts.
Contributors include Marc Svensson of You Are Loved and Mati Klitgård of Gay Consent.Lab, who offer reflections on intimacy, chemsex and consent in contemporary queer life.
View this post on Instagram
Elsewhere, Stav B addresses the ongoing erasure of lesbian cruising spaces, while playwright Jordan Tannahill recounts a charged night in Hampstead Heath. Prem Sahib’s visual insert ‘Vape’ explores the tension between digital and physical encounters, and João Florêncio’s opening essay, ‘F*cking Ruins,’ threads together queerness, empire and decay.
The publication also features image work by Del LaGrace Volcano, Vincent Wechselberger and SMUT Press co-founder Jordan Hearns, with design by John Philip Sage maintaining the project’s distinctive pocket-sized format.
Alongside the book’s release, an accompanying exhibition at Studio Voltaire (running until July 5, 2026) marks the first time Cruising Archaeology has been presented in a gallery setting.
The European launch tour begins in London before arriving in Dublin on May 28, with an event hosted at none other than The Boilerhouse from 6–10 pm, followed by an afterparty at Yamamori Tengu. These events echo the project’s ethos, bringing the work back into the kinds of spaces it documents.
Published by SMUT Press and distributed by Public Knowledge Books, Cruising Archaeology II: Eurotrash is supported by Arts Council Ireland and Culture Ireland, further cementing its place within a growing international conversation around queer cultural production. Find out more here.
© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN is a free, vital resource for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
GCN is a trading name of National LGBT Federation CLG, a registered charity - Charity Number: 20034580.
GCN relies on the generous support of the community and allies to sustain the crucial work that we do. Producing GCN is costly, and, in an industry which has been hugely impacted by rising costs, we need your support to help sustain and grow this vital resource.
Supporting GCN for as little as €1.99 per month will help us continue our work as Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.