A maximalist photo collage staged across three levels, this work unfolds like a memory opera: Preparation, Arrival, Blow Out the Candles, Eat the Cake, Clean Up. Each act captures the choreography of celebration—ritual, chaos, sweetness, and aftermath—rendered in vibrant color and digital distortion.
But beneath the confetti and glitch lies something quieter: the radical joy of survival. This is a birthday party for gay men “of a certain age”—those who have endured, outlived expectation, and now celebrate with full presence. The work honors not just the event, but the right to have it. To gather. To be seen. To blow out candles without apology.
It’s camp as archive, party as protest, and cleanup as quiet grace. Terry Hastings stages the ordinary with operatic scale, turning cupcakes and chaos into a monument to resilience.
 
This work is offered as 3: 20x60 inch prints. Please inquire about other sizes. 
 
The work is titled, numbered, a limited edition of 5, and signed by the artist.
 
The photo is shipped in a double tube for safety.
Please allow 5 - 7 days for production and shipping.