Mike Bailey Gates is an artist we have featured repeatedly on VICE.com as part of the duo Mike and Claire. Now he’s getting ready to graduate from art school, and his thesis project is a tribute to the people who have helped him along the way. It’s a shoot featuring queer activists in New York City, cast as angels and filtered through Bailey Gates’s unique aesthetic, which references queer folklore and often uses body paint and primary colors. The work will be displayed in the School of Visual Arts’ Mentors Show, which opens March 26th at SVA’s Chelsea Gallery. Proceeds from sales will be donated to Visual AIDS, an organization that fights AIDS by inspiring dialogue and supporting HIV-positive artists. Make a donation at http://VisualAIDS.org

See more photos by Mike Bailey Gates on his website.