While Brighton Pride might be cancelled this year, Socially Engaged Art Salon (SEAS) is staging radical queers of colour in an exhibition and live event. The exhibition “Intersections'' explores the life experiences of black BIPOC LGBTQAI+ with works by UK and international artists. The exhibition’s name derives from the term intersectionality coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a law professor and social theorist, who looked at how the intersection of various identity markers such as gender, sexual orientation, class, race, religion etc. might disadvantage or advantage people.
The exhibition opening event on August 8th will be a rich tapestry of performances, readings, artist presentations and even a dress-up competition. It will include a live performance by acclaimed drag artist Son of a Tutu, a reading performance by the trans author, Bollywood and witchcraft dancer Evy DeLuca, a talk by the Nigerian LGBTQ activist Edafe Okporo who had to escape and seek asylum in the USA and more to be announced shortly. SEAS will host a curated short film programme by Arabian LGBTQ filmmakers selected by the curator Toufik Algerianism.
Some highlights of the online exhibition include a series of drawings by Brightonian artist Josef Cabey exploring the complex histories of black LGBT artists and activists. Poignant animations displaying the alienation felt by LGBTQ POC millennials by Brighton University graduate Pacheanne Anderson and an exploration of non-binary aesthetics by South African artist Nomusa Musah Mtshali. A short film by radical trans performer Chiyo Gomez about their experiences as a trans person of colour will also be shown.
Good art is all about complexity, about presenting alternative perspectives and ability to call or even cause a change. Artists who embody various minority identities have life experiences and sensitivities that will often generate such art. That is what you will see in this upcoming exhibition.
