Award-winning director and writer Kayden Kross has launched Gasplighting, a multidisciplinary cultural project designed to challenge existing narratives surrounding bodies, sexuality, and intimate experiences. The project, announced on September 10, 2026, will manifest through a coffee table book and a multi-sensory gallery exhibition in Los Angeles.
Project Overview and Themes
Gasplighting is described as a multidisciplinary cultural project that aims to challenge the narratives shaping how individuals understand their bodies, sexuality, and intimate experiences. The project combines psychology, philosophy, visual storytelling, and cultural commentary to examine the disconnect between lived experience and societal messages regarding desire, pleasure, vulnerability, autonomy, and connection.
Rather than providing definitive answers, Gasplighting invites audiences to question long-held assumptions and engage in a more honest and nuanced conversation about intimacy, which is presented as foundational to the human experience. In collaboration with the Deeper brand, the project will explore these themes through genuine conversation, connection, and adult art.
Kayden Kross, founder of Gasplighting and Deeper, stated that much of what people believe about intimacy is inherited through culture and expectation, rather than being based on their own experiences. The project asks what happens when individuals stop outsourcing their understanding of themselves and begin trusting their own lived experiences instead.
Gasplighting explores several interconnected themes, including body literacy and personal autonomy, the widening gap between cultural narratives and lived experience, and intimacy as an emotional and psychological experience, rather than one defined solely by physicality. Through immersive visual storytelling, the project seeks to transform conversations historically shaped by shame and silence into opportunities for curiosity, understanding, and meaningful dialogue.
The project's definition on Gasplighting.com describes it as the distortion of people’s experiences with their own bodies, particularly concerning health, sexuality, and pleasure, which can lead to manifestations of self-doubt. The movement explores how bodies, realities, relationships, and sexual wellness are often misunderstood and dismissed, citing outdated narratives, misinformation, and gaps in research and education as factors that often leave these realities unchallenged and unheard.
Exhibition and Collaborations
Gasplighting will come to life through "Deeper," a visually-driven coffee table book that serves as a retrospective of Kross's creative vision and narratives under the Deeper umbrella. Concurrently, a multi-sensory gallery experience will be held at Wonzimer Gallery in downtown Los Angeles on October 16 and 17, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The two-night exhibition will translate the themes of Gasplighting into immersive art designed to encourage reflection, conversation, and connection. Admission to the Los Angeles exhibition is free.
The gallery exhibition is designed to evolve over time, incorporating content, conversation, and collaboration. The Los Angeles launch at Wonzimer will offer a unique perspective at the intersection of culture, sexuality, and storytelling across multiple rooms designed to activate all five senses. The space will also feature a bar and lounge for discussions, music, and panels. Future Gasplighting events are planned for New York and Miami, with details to be announced.
The launch of Gasplighting is supported by a group of brand partners whose work intersects with the project's broader exploration of pleasure, identity, self-expression, and modern intimacy. These partners include Deeper, Eat Me Cookies, Banana Split, Widow (film), and adult studio Bellesa. Through their involvement in the launch and gallery experience, these partners will help bring the world of Gasplighting to life beyond the page and create additional touchpoints for guests. Additional details regarding the gallery experience, participating brands, programming, and events will be announced on Gasplighting.com ahead of the October launch.
Kayden Kross: Background
Kayden Kross, born in 1985, is an American pornographic film actress and director. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame. Kross grew up in the foothills between Sacramento and Placerville in a strict, religious household. She has described herself as "the book nerd" during her high school years. Kross and her younger sister were raised by a single mother, and the family faced financial struggles after her father left.
Kross began stripping at Rick's Showgirls in Rancho Cordova, California, at the age of eighteen to earn money to rescue a pony. She kept the pony for eight months. Kross was a psychology major at Sacramento State, where she also studied philosophy. An agent at the club offered Kross the opportunity to model in adult magazines.
Her filmography with Vivid included titles such as Kayden's First Time, Hard Time, and Be Here Now. After one year, she became a free agent, choosing not to renew her contract with Vivid. She later signed an exclusive contract with Adam & Eve. Kross was named Penthouse Pet of the Month for September 2008. Her official website, ClubKayden.com, launched on September 2, 2008. Kross has also hosted a blog at UnKrossed.com and contributed opinion columns to MikeSouth.com, an adult industry gossip blog, among other sites.
Key Facts
- Kayden Kross launched Gasplighting on September 10, 2026.
- Gasplighting is a multidisciplinary cultural project challenging narratives about bodies, sexuality, and intimate experiences.
- The project will feature a coffee table book titled "Deeper" and a multi-sensory gallery exhibition.
- The gallery exhibition will take place at Wonzimer Gallery in downtown Los Angeles on October 16 and 17, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Brand partners supporting the launch include Deeper, Eat Me Cookies, Banana Split, Widow (film), and Bellesa.
- Kayden Kross is an award-winning director, writer, and founder of adult brands Deeper and MILFY.
