Design
The Architecture of Adult Entertainment
Photographing strip-club exteriors from Miami to L.A. for his series “Gentlemen’s Club,” François Prost found pink stucco, flashy signs—and lots of parking.
This spring, French photographer François Prost took a road trip across America. Instead of seeing national parks or exploring major cities, Prost strayed far from the typical tourist’s path, and trained his camera instead on the exteriors of strip clubs from Miami to Los Angeles.
The resulting series, “Gentlemen’s Club,” is also a portrait of American culture and urbanism. Shot from medium distance, the 193 photos highlight the stark geometry of American roadside architecture, as well as prevailing views on gender and sexuality. “It is a way to study and to try to understand this country,” Prost said of the series in an email.