The gallery is booked, so I guess....it's officially happening!! This June 23-29th at 55 Dean Street, Soho, London, I'll be putting on a major art exhibition about gay LGBTQ+ London.
With 2 floors of paintings and limited edition screen prints, my first major solo show shall be to celebrate the LGBTQ+ venues that have made and make queer London.
The exhibition: Queer Today Gone Tomorrow will take you on a journey through time. Starting with the illegal Molly houses from the 1800s, through 60s and 70s Earls Court, finally into modern day Soho and beyond.
Why? Well since 2005, over 60% of LGBTQ+ spaces in London have closed! With more people than ever identifying as LGBTQ+, having safe spaces for personal discover, self expression and to simply be around people that can relate to them in ways those outside the community cant, is more important than ever.
With significant venues like GAY Lates, The Glory, Chariots, The Backstreet, and more closing in recent years it has highlighted to me the temporary nature of even the capital's stalwart spaces for the queer community. This made me think not just of them, but those places that have been lost before that paved the way for modern London.
The illegal underground spaces that started it, the trailblazers that helped fight for the rights we benefit from today, the saunas, clubs, shops and more that have proudly given LGBTQ+ Londoners a life they would get in few places around the world.
But instead of moaning about the closures, I want to help celebrate these spaces, their memory and impact, and help others learn a little more about the LGBTQ+ history of this amazing city. Through this I hope to encourage valuing the venues we still have and their role they have in supporting LGBTQ+ people.
You can be a part of the show by contributing your favourite LGBTQ+ venue and what it means to you by clicking here.
Look forward to seeing you at the show! Follow @Recognition.art on IG for more updates on the show, or sign up to the newsletter below.
Celebrate gay London with pride this June at what's set to be an awesome art exhibition!
See you in June,
RECOGNITION x