LGBTQ+ History Month 2023 - Exhibition Artwork Amor Ilimitado, Marker on wax paper, 23cm wide x18cm high (framed), 2023 My work, written in my native language on wax paper, attempts to make the invisible visible. Amor Ilimitado, created in 2023, meaning unlimited love, reflects safe spaces where everybody can relax and enjoy the time spent together. The Artist: Lorenzo Belenguer Lorenzo Belenguer is a nonbinary artist based in London influenced by Minimalism and Arte Povera. His work has been exhibited or performed at spaces such as the Serpentine Galleries (led by Leah Capaldi), Tate Modern and the Venice Biennale. As a member of Opening Doors, and of the older LGTBQIA+ community, I love the sense of camaraderie, and the genuine effort by everyone to make everybody feel accepted. It's the invisible that makes those encounters so special. Links: www.LorenzoBelenguer.Art Mystically Pink, On canvas, finger-painted in water-mixable oils, 46cm high x 23.5cm wide, 2002 From a dark time in history when a pink triangle was used in Nazi Germany on the uniforms of prisoners in concentration camps to identify them as gay, it has since been reclaimed as a positive symbol for the LGBTQ+ community. Abstract Masculinity, A2 portrait (paper), finger painted in poster in a yellow frame oils, 59.4cm high x 42cm wide, 2016 As an openly gay man, how does my admiration of male beauty, masculinity even, sit in a time when gender fluidity and diversity is rightly celebrated? I can, for the first time in my life comfortably walk out, presenting as a man and wearing make-up. Breaking Boundaries, A2 (landscape)paper, brush painted in poster paint in a white frame, 40cm high x 59.4cm wide, 2020 Bright colours, a shadowy figure and the brightness of the sun represent the future and the world beyond. Lockdown was in many ways brutal - a sudden, forced withdrawal and separation from society. The Artist: Paul Collier Growing up in Bath, Paul’s predilection veered towards the arts, and in 2004 at the age of 42 he achieved a childhood dream and graduated with a BA in fine art from Middlesex University. During his working life and emanating from voluntary work with older people, Paul forged a career in public sector services across London. Invariably his work steered him towards the older generation – he was strategic planning officer for older people’s services in Southwark and Chief Executive Officer for Age Concern Harrow. Links: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/collier-paul-b-1962 Interracial couple bathing in Portugal aka the glaze Interracial couple bathing in Portugal aka the glaze Acrylic on board, 100cm X 56cm X 2cm, 2019 This painting was inspire in Portugal and its tiles, created in London, and presented such as our power of freedom, love and to eliminate the taboos about the male nude, encouraging their representation with positive masculinity and pride. Their representation specifies splendour, refreshment, and my power of free will as a gay artist. The Artist: Jose Gomez Jose Gomez is a contemporary visual artist who lives and works in London, UK. Natural of Seville, Spain, where he studied at the Seville Art School. His artworks are hybrid paintings and sculptures. Jose has showed his artworks in solos and several group exhibitions around London and Spain. including The Menier Gallery (Beyond Margins, 2015) The OXO Tower (Tribe 17 at the Bargehouse, 2017) The Tower Bridge Engine Rooms (The Art Bridge #8, 2018) Old Diorama Arts Centre (Loudest Whispers, 2022). Links: https://www.josegomezart.com/ Show your wound and you will be healed, Four colour screen print, wood, perspex, metal clips masking tapes, 29cm X 23cm X 1cm, 2020 - Edition 2/2 A screen print featuring a photocopy of the opening dedication in Sarah Schulman’s 2016 book Conflict Is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and Duty of Repair. It reads: Thank you for being accountable, keeping your promises, and being willing to face and deal with problems regardless of their complexity. The Artist: Jose McGuffin Josi McGuffin (b. 1998) graduated in Fine Art from Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, in 2020. Working across written, sonic, choreographic and visual art contexts, their work manifests critical relations between bodies, sensations, materiality's and environments. Their current research engages with a phenomenology of marginalisation, estrangement and (im)mobility. In particular, the resistance between the body and its attempts to articulate; the struggle for and against representation across language and movement. Buck Angel, A4 (portrait) framed, 30.5cm high x 21.5cm wide, 2022 Buck Angel (born 1962) was born in Los Angeles and female at birth. As an adolescent and young adult, he misused drugs and alcohol. It was only in his late 20's that Buck began his transition. He subsequently started a pornographic film company called Buck Angel Entertainment and starred in some as 'the Man with a Pussy'. Some of his work was with transgender women; the director Gia Darling and the performer Allanah Starr. Campbell X, A4 (portrait) framed, 30.5cm high x 21.5cm wide, 2022 Campbell X (born 1969 approx) is an award winning trans director, cinematographer and screenwriter. Many of the films he has made have documented black British LGBT+ life and culture, sometimes mixing fact and fiction. He has also co-founded, with Neelu Bhuman, the Wahala Film Fund, a completion fund for short films by and about Queer, Transgender and Intersex People of Colour (QTIPOC). Barbette aka Vander Clyde Broadway, A4 (portrait) framed, 30.5cm high x 21.5cm wide, 2022 Barbette (1898-1973) was a trapeze artist who achieved iconic status in the 1920's and 30's. They were particularly appreciated in France, as my version of a Gesmar poster shows and gained considerable following amongst the intelligentsia and avant-garde. They also worked with Orson Welles on his 1955 travelogues and with other films. Barbette coached Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon for the film, 'Some Like it Hot'. Wu Tsang A4 (portrait) framed, 30.5cm high x 21.5cm wide, 2022 Wu Tsang (born 1982) is an American filmmaker, artist, performer and activist. She was one of the collaborators in PILOT TV, a Chicago Art Institute collective that put on a four day event on 'transfeminism'. Tsang went to her father's country, China, and from it made the film about Qui Jin, the Qing dynasty (late 19th century) Chinese poet, feminist, warrior and lesbian (homosexuality was illegal until 1997). Seyhan Arman A4 (portrait) framed, 30.5cm high x 21.6cm wide, 2022 Seyhan Arman (born 1980) is a transgender rights and human right's activist, actress, writer and drag queen. She was born in Adana in Turkey, but has lived most of her adult life in Istanbul. She has been in numbers of films and TV series since 1997 and also provided the voice for Elektra Abundance in the Turkish version of the TV series 'Pose'. Seyhan was one of the BBC's '100 Women' in 2016, along with Heloise Letissier and Jeanette Winterson. The Artist: Philippa Punchard Philippa Punchard is a trans artist, former teacher and bookseller based in South London. Her work has appeared in a Queerdirect show and its book and at Loudest Whispers. Philippa’s work has also been exhibited in Tate Modern and Dulwich Picture Gallery Late Shows. She has curated consecutive Pride Month 'Queer Arts' Shows in Bermondsey and Southwark in association with the LGBTQIA+ charity, Opening Doors, for which she also runs the Hackney Art group. ‘Gender Pioneers' (2022), is her first book. Birkdale, 300mm x 420mm wool, plywood backed, 2022 A handmade hooked rug based on drawings by the artist of trapeze artists practising. The theme is one of balance, adaptation and ambiguity. The Artist: Wen Frank Wen Frank is an autistic artist without formal training. They have also had their work exhibited in the 2020 'Environments' Outside In Piano Nobile. I draw and paint to record my experiences. From this I develop sculptural works, prints, textile-based pieces and ceramics. I then return to the drawing process to further investigate ideas. The constraints of the materials are also integral to my process. Fifteen, 45cm high X 30cm wide, 2020 From a dark scary place, specks of imperfections of colour swirling around brightening the darkness from inside. It symbolises the beginning of my understanding of my identity. I created this piece in 2020 during lockdown at a time of reflection and personal discovery. The Artist: Ben Morgan Ben Morgan, 34 years old from Birmingham, UK. Currently work within Banking and is a passionate community activist. Enjoys creating abstract art in his spare time. Exile, 60cm high X 40cm wide, 2020 This art piece is one that I started 2 years ago, its one that I’m not sure that I’ll finish as it changes as I change. It represents how us LGBTQ+ people present a different version of ourselves when growing up and shows the process of how when we become part of the community, we start to become more ourselves. The Artist: Lee James Dixon Lee is a self-taught amateur artist from Edinburgh. He loves movies, travelling and art. In the past few years, I have mainly drawn digitally which has caused my traditional artwork to evolve and change into the style you see today. In the future, I’d love to develop my art skills further and present a full solo exhibition. Do I look fat in this? 100cm high X 150 cm wide, 1990? I met Sarah, who modelled for the piece, during the 90s when we were barmaids at the Cochrane Theatre in Southampton Row. She was Australian and I was so impressed by her eloquence -combined with her charm. One day, working together we started chatting about weight. At the end of the 80s, I had lost an awful lot of weight, I'm talking about 3.5 stone. So I was quite trim, as was Sarah, however she began to reveal to me that she always felt fat no matter what she wore. It really affected her confidence. I was quite taken aback. At the time, I had access to a professional studio down the road in Clerkenwell, so when we finished the shift I said do you fancy showing me how you feel about your weight issues, photographically speaking. She said I need a drink first. We went on the drink all over Clerkenwell taking cabs as we went. I had some money at the time. We got to the studio and look what happened. I have never shown these images to anyone before just to protect her, its time. Thank you Sarah from Australia for trusting me with your inner most image. I'll always be grateful. Manage Cookie Preferences