What comes across in Mapplethorpe's images are the physical strength of the subjects and the tenderness of their helpers in the exploration of the poetry of pain. No one else, he feels, has worked with the subject matter as he does. 42nd Street just doesn't go beyond a certain level. While Mapplethorpe enjoys photographing sex, he enjoys sex itself more. Sex without the camera is sexier.
Sex is the highest art form.
It's the most complicated thing men can be involved in. His exhibition at 80 Langton Street may not have been to everyone's taste, but it was instructive and did increase awareness about what is means to be a human being. All the works shown are consistent in the photographic beauty of their images.