At the historic Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center) in New York City’s Greenwich Village, a new exhibition asks seven artists how they define and reclaim the divinity inherent within their queer identities. Curated by Gabriel G. Torres and on view through September 10, Divine Queerness: “Forms and Tools: Methods of Healing” is a visual interrogation into the relationship between queerness and various healing mechanisms for people around the world. In collaboration with The Center, the show is presented by En Foco, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting photographers in the United States who have African, Asian, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander roots. The free exhibition can also be experienced online.
The works in Divine Queerness are sprinkled throughout the second and third floors of the community center, interwoven into the space in a way that feels akin to a treasure hunt. The photographs are displayed against the backdrop of offices, bathrooms, and the echoing chatter of staff and visitors. The Center, founded in 1983 as a resource hub for LGBTQ+ community members, is already full of artworks and historical memorabilia — from Keith Haring’s “Once Upon A Time” (1989) site-specific bathroom mural to David LaChapelle’s larger-than-life Humankind (1989) collages to Gran Fury’s crimson “RIOT” painting from 1988. Mixed amongst them, the works selected for Divine Queerness appear to be in communication with these permanent displays, activating a unique viewing experience.
Displayed above a radiator in a corner on the second floor, artist and activist Lola Flash’s Afrofuturistic self-portraits evoke concepts relating to queer and racial liberation. Wearing a bright orange prison jumpsuit, handcuffs, and a space helmet, Flash illustrates how individuals utilize self-empowerment and identity to free themselves from the power structures that threaten to render them invisible. Down the hall, Gabriel Garcia Roman’s Queer Icons (2022) mixed-media series sheds light on historically under-represented, everyday heroes. Encapsulated in intricate wooden frames and surrounded by metallic text and scribbled patterns, the black-and-white subjects of his collaged prints are elevated to iconographic status, adorned in colorful clothing, and backlit by luminous halos.
In a narrow corridor, photo-based performance artist Amarise Carreras’s hand-developed still life prints are full of energy and movement, as images of anonymous hands pour shimmery honey-like substances onto altars adorned with melting candles, flower petals, ground annatto, fruit, and candy wrappers. Displayed opposite a community bulletin board, the glass on these photographs reflects back watery images of flyers promoting events, announcements, and community resources. Around the corner near The Center’s west wing stairs, Ben Eichert’s emotive self-portraits grapple with juxtaposing themes of painful trauma and restorative healing. Depicting themself in duplicate forms, Eichert visually conveys the inner turmoil and conflict that comes with personal growth and self-discovery.
The exhibition continues onto The Center’s third floor where abstract boxed dioramas by Bronx artist Dauris Martinez feature assemblages of resewn headless bodies, newspaper clippings, and cutouts of birds and flora to offer viewers a glimpse into ethereal, alternate dimensions. Martinez told Hyperallergic that over the years, he has amassed a collection of wooden containers, including cigar, jewelry, and shadow boxes. He was drawn to the way in which the boxed sculptures “force the viewer to interact with the work in physical space.”
“By working in this manner I am demanding that the viewer move around, crouch down, and look through each nook and cranny of each work,” Martinez said. In his explanation of the birds present throughout the three-dimensional collages, he said the symbol was a way of reclaiming language that had previously been used as a weapon.
“Growing up as a closeted gay kid I always heard the word ‘pájaro’ used as an insult towards gay men, and it has at times been used against me,” Martinez said, adding that when translated into English as “bird,” “the word also becomes innocent and far removed from the context of an insult.”
“The excess of flowers and birds create a joyful environment that is far removed from the negative context and emotions which I have perceived them from,” he explained.
Around the corner, Debmalya Ray Choudhuri’s black-and-white A Factless Autobiography (2020) series draws viewers’ attention toward unidentified figures whose faces are obscured by starry veils and blurred shadows. A mix of staged and candid shots, self-portraits, and portraits of others, the photographs teeter between hopeful and melancholy in the way they present their anonymous subjects, who gaze off to the side or directly at the viewer from behind translucent sheets. At the far end of the hall, Giancarlo Montes Santangelo’s archival prints explore the quiet, intimate intersections of heritage and queer identity.
Transformative and vulnerable, each unique artwork envisions powerful ways to overcome trauma and hardship while simultaneously centering queerness and self-acceptance in a way that feels intrinsically joyful.
“As my goal is to find healing, I hope that others are able to find healing within my work as well,” Martinez told Hyperallergic, adding that his goal is to “elevate these negative experiences” not only for himself but for his community.
This article, part of a series focused on LGBTQ+ artists and art movements, is supported by Swann Auction Galleries. Swann’s upcoming sale “LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History,” featuring works and material by Tom of Finland, Sadao Hasegawa, Yiannis Nomikos, and many more will take place on August 17, 2023.
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