CHASE ALLEN

Raleigh, NC

Chalk pastel and charcoal pencil on paper, 18 x 24 inches, 2024

$1000

chaseallenart.com

As a white gay man who takes part in the Ballroom Scene, a culture created by and for queer people of color, and also as a white artist who creates art within the mainstream culture that is derived from ballroom, I am aware of my position of privilege and my position as a sort of bridge between the mainstream and celebrated and the underground and overlooked. I often find myself having to explain to people what ballroom is and why it is important.

Many white artists have shamelessly appropriated from ballroom for their own gain while offering the culture little in return. It’s my desire to instead do all within my power to afford the ballroom community the respect, credit, and resources it deserves. I could not have made this art if not for the many black and brown queer artists who have inspired me and contributed to the art form of vogue, like Willi Ninja, Leiomy Maldonado, Kassandra Ebony, Dashaun Wesley, Kevin JZ Prodigy, Sinaia Alaia, and countless others.

I draw and paint what I love and what gives my life meaning.

I have always loved to dance, though for years that love was stifled by external and internalized homophobia. In high school I rekindled that love when I discovered and began practicing the dance style known as vogue fem.

I later learned of the broader culture that birthed voguing, known as the Ballroom Scene a.k.a. Ballroom Culture. Ballroom is a Black and brown LGBTQ+ subculture that for decades has created space for some of the most marginalized people in the U.S. to transform their pain into art, and glamour, as a form of resistance to their ongoing oppression.

I have had the great fortune to become a part of Ballroom Culture through my love of voguing. In the scene I perform at balls as a member of the International Haus of Daniel Del Core, and outside the scene I create drawings and paintings, including the ones in this exhibition, that seek to capture the glamour, dynamism, and aesthetics of voguing.

CHASE ALLEN

Raleigh, NC

Chalk pastel and charcoal pencil on paper, 24 x 18 inches, 2024

$1,000

chaseallenart.com

As a white gay man who takes part in the Ballroom Scene, a culture created by and for queer people of color, and also as a white artist who creates art within the mainstream culture that is derived from ballroom, I am aware of my position of privilege and my position as a sort of bridge between the mainstream and celebrated and the underground and overlooked. I often find myself having to explain to people what ballroom is and why it is important.

Many white artists have shamelessly appropriated from ballroom for their own gain while offering the culture little in return. It’s my desire to instead do all within my power to afford the ballroom community the respect, credit, and resources it deserves. I could not have made this art if not for the many black and brown queer artists who have inspired me and contributed to the art form of vogue, like Willi Ninja, Leiomy Maldonado, Kassandra Ebony, Dashaun Wesley, Kevin JZ Prodigy, Sinaia Alaia, and countless others.

I draw and paint what I love and what gives my life meaning.

I have always loved to dance, though for years that love was stifled by external and internalized homophobia. In high school I rekindled that love when I discovered and began practicing the dance style known as vogue fem.

I later learned of the broader culture that birthed voguing, known as the Ballroom Scene a.k.a. Ballroom Culture. Ballroom is a Black and brown LGBTQ+ subculture that for decades has created space for some of the most marginalized people in the U.S. to transform their pain into art, and glamour, as a form of resistance to their ongoing oppression.

I have had the great fortune to become a part of Ballroom Culture through my love of voguing. In the scene I perform at balls as a member of the International Haus of Daniel Del Core, and outside the scene I create drawings and paintings, including the ones in this exhibition, that seek to capture the glamour, dynamism, and aesthetics of voguing.

JACKIE ANDREWS

Monkton, MD

Mixed media textile work, 18 x 14 inches, 2022

NFS

jackiegemcreative.wordpress.com

My queer- and genderqueer identity are central to my work across disciplines: first and foremost, I aim to be in conversation with the queer community and provide a platform for the queer, feminist experience in my work. I am committed to creating artwork, writing, platforms, and spaces that reflect those values.

This body of work is a love letter—both to my past self, and the evolving queer identity I’ve come to know in adulthood. The works are equally reflective—pondering the turmoil and uncertainties of young love; and defiantly joyful—reveling in the complexities of embracing my ever-changing relationship to queerness in a world that is not always nurturing.

My studio work explores the intersection between collage, sculpture, and jewelry, often taking the form of wearable curiosity cabinets, color studies in three-dimensional space, or ephemeral, decadent environments. Through these explorations, I investigate my relationship to queerness and gender, and the conceptual structures of kitsch aesthetic and nostalgia. Thematic playfulness and questioning come through dialogue between materials, “power clashing” styles, and queer historical references in my studio practice. My practice challenges norms and blurs boundaries in order to build speculative, queer discourse in the contemporary craft, art, and art history fields alike.

JACKIE ANDREWS

Monkton, MD

Mixed media textile work, 14 x 8.5 inches, 2022

$735

jackiegemcreative.wordpress.com

My queer- and genderqueer identity are central to my work across disciplines: first and foremost, I aim to be in conversation with the queer community and provide a platform for the queer, feminist experience in my work. I am committed to creating artwork, writing, platforms, and spaces that reflect those values.

This body of work is a love letter—both to my past self, and the evolving queer identity I’ve come to know in adulthood. The works are equally reflective—pondering the turmoil and uncertainties of young love; and defiantly joyful—reveling in the complexities of embracing my ever-changing relationship to queerness in a world that is not always nurturing.

My studio work explores the intersection between collage, sculpture, and jewelry, often taking the form of wearable curiosity cabinets, color studies in three-dimensional space, or ephemeral, decadent environments. Through these explorations, I investigate my relationship to queerness and gender, and the conceptual structures of kitsch aesthetic and nostalgia. Thematic playfulness and questioning come through dialogue between materials, “power clashing” styles, and queer historical references in my studio practice. My practice challenges norms and blurs boundaries in order to build speculative, queer discourse in the contemporary craft, art, and art history fields alike.

PANSY ASS

Hamilton, Ontario

Ketchup Chips, Porcelain, 5 x 5 inches, 2025

$800

pansyassceramics.com

We recognize our privilege as queer Canadians but are aware that an important part of resistance is with our spending power.

We're actively trying to curb our spending with large corporate entities and whenever possible using our queer dollars to support small, local and queer-owned businesses.

Pansy Ass Ceramics is a collaboration by real-life partners Andy Walker and Kris Aaron.

Since the second election of Donald Trump our Canadian identity and queer rights have been at risk.  We've had no choice but to resist his influence by using our purchasing power and choosing to buy Canadian-only products.

Ketchup chips are a culturally-beloved Canadian product... so we created a bag in porcelain and yass-ified it with rhinestones for a bit of glamour!

An unexpected result from the constant tariffs and attacks is our reconsidering of our identity and newfound unified sense of Canadian pride.

BRANDIN BARÓN

San Francisco, CA

Digital illustration/archival print (12 x 12 inches), paper with mixed media, 18 x 18 inches, 2023

$600

brandinbaron.com

As a child, I had no obvious visual references for alternative embodiments of queerness; my own identity was created in response to caricatures of gay/bisexual men from film and television, that I knew were inauthentic. As an adult artist, I'm interested in creating artworks that amplifies the diversity of LGBTQIA+ personae, especially in highlighting the beauty and glamour of these individuals.

I insert LGBTQIA+ bodies into fictive environments composited from historical imagery to emphasize parallels with our contemporary sociopolitical issues, and to link queerness to a historical past. My portraits have the intention of making complex relationships between the viewer and the subject, in which there is a healthy ambiguity surrounding “artist intent”. The "glamour" of the sitters in my artworks is heavily reliant on their individual strengths and their relationship to the greater LGBTQIA+ community: in this case - San Francisco Bay Area drag queen legend Sister Roma works tirelessly to promote LGBTQIA+ issues.

MX BEX x QING BLAZE

Richmond, VA

Photography, 18 x 12 inches, 2023.

$250

My identity as a black trans person allows me to see the world from a prospective that many won’t. I am the descendant of fierce determination and a defiance that has contributed to the world’s history. This helps me understand the privilege I hold to be able to participate in the arts and the responsibility I have to lift the voices of the past and those here today without the ability to do the same.

As a Black, trans/gender non-conforming artist, I believe it is essential to document our experiences and existence, particularly during these challenging times. Even in 2025, discrimination remains a tangible reality, and the queer community continues to face significant challenges. At a time when the art of drag and burlesque is under attack across the country, Black drag kings like myself are often overlooked, especially here in Richmond.

This is a photograph featuring my drag persona, created in memory of Stormy Delarverie, an iconic drag king and show emcee of the 1950s and '60s who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall rebellion. Unfortunately, Stormy’s contributions have largely gone uncelebrated.

I am passionate about connecting the lines of the past and future and looking forward to the opportunity to contribute my perspective on the glamour of Black queerness and would be honored to share my work.

MERENDA CECILIA & SAM CHRISTIAN

Richmond, VA

Ceramic, 18 x 14 inches, 2024

NFS

merendacecelia.com

highandmightyco.com

Merenda Cecelia is an ally, and Sam identifies as they/them.

This piece was created as a collaboration between Merenda Cecelia and Sam Christian. This piece depicts Nina Pop, a vibrant transgender woman and murder victim of violent hate crime in 2020. Her portrait seeks to honor her life and beauty.

KELLY CIUREJ

Honolulu, HI

Archival inkjet print, 12 x 12 inches, 2018

$345

kellyciurej.com

Using the body as my palette, I aim to challenge traditional ideas of feminine beauty and submissive personality roles in favor of a confrontational approach. I am fascinated by the influence contemporary culture (capitalism, social media, etc.) has on our ability to show up as who we are in the modern every-day. I use humor and satire in many of my photographs as a way to challenge the absurdity of the situations often presented to us. This is how my current artwork functions— I want to witness the mess and watch it grow instead of immediately cleaning it up.

I am interested in exploring moments of self-discovery, the misalignment in thought, psychology and the myth of paradise.  More often than not, I have found there to be a gap between what we expect and what we get. My work examines the interplay between memory, identity, and cultural ideals through a photographic lens.

My practice shifts between capturing seemingly ordinary landscapes and crafting fictional, carefully choreographed scenes– delving into the interplay between what is true and what is imagined.  Social media and visual culture further inform my work, highlighting the ways in which they can distort our perception of reality—or create entirely new ones.

JACOB DAROCA-KINCHELOE

Richmond, VA

Graphite on Paper, 40 x 30 inches, 2023

$4500

Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, my first encounters with Queer identity were shaped by the HIV/AIDS crisis. Love and danger were inextricably entangled. Paradoxicality seems intrinsic to Queer being, extending into our relationships, our aesthetics, and even our senses of self. My work examines the experience of Queer desire with a focus on dichotomy and dissonance.

Locating beauty in the overlooked, the marginal, the abject, is a hallmark of Queerness. My work explores the border between glamorous and grotesque. These drawings express the struggle and pleasure of inhabiting a desiring body and examine the performance of identity and intimacy. Our insistence upon a complicated and unconventional approach to beauty, sex, and identity resists pedestrian norms and shapes our very existence as an act of protest.

JUSTICE DWIGHT

Richmond, VA

Acrylic paint on canvas with glitter, 24 x 30 inches, 2024.
$1000

justicedwight.com

I feel like all of my art is a reflection of who I am, I feel like I walk each day as a person whose glamour is a form of resistance. Everything I touch slash everything I am is a revolution in itself. I am proud of what I represent, and I will continue to do what I was brought to this earth to do.

My pieces celebrate beauty, softness, and radiance as a powerful form of resistance. My figures shine despite the world’s attempt to try and dim their spotlight. Glamour has become an armor to draw folks in or shield them away. My work aims to help folks find commonalities in the black queer experience.

JUSTICE DWIGHT

Richmond, VA

Acrylic on tissue paper with glitter, 12 x 14 inches, 2025.

$500

justicedwight.com

I feel like all of my art is a reflection of who I am, I feel like I walk each day as a person whose glamour is a form of resistance. Everything I touch slash everything I am is a revolution in itself. I am proud of what I represent, and I will continue to do what I was brought to this earth to do.

My pieces celebrate beauty, softness, and radiance as a powerful form of resistance. My figures shine despite the world’s attempt to try and dim their spotlight. Glamour has become an armor to draw folks in or shield them away. My work aims to help folks find commonalities in the black queer experience.

AARON EICHORST

Charlottesville, VA

Acrylic on Clayboard, 30 x 30 inches, 2022.

$1400

aaroneichorst.com

My work is shaped by a deep appreciation for beauty as both refuge and resistance. Nature’s brilliance—shimmering wings, bold patterns, and fleeting glances—mirrors the vibrancy and resilience of queer existence. Inspired by the Grotesque style, I use symmetry and structure to frame moments of awe, subtly disrupting expectations to reflect the complexities of identity. The figures in my work meet the viewer’s gaze, inviting contemplation and connection. In a world that often overlooks the delicate and extraordinary, my paintings affirm that beauty is a radical act—one of defiance, survival, and joy.

I am captivated by nature’s beauty—the shimmer of a tree swallow’s feathers, the bold patterns of a butterfly’s wings, the bloom of a rhododendron. My work blends these elements into unexpected compositions, celebrating the extraordinary in the everyday. Inspired by the Grotesque style—historically used to ward off evil—I use symmetry to frame subjects that meet the viewer’s gaze, creating a portal for reflection.

Celebrating beauty is an act of resistance. In a world that often overlooks wonder, honoring the delicate and intricate becomes a radical gesture. My work asserts that beauty is not mere decoration but a form of defiance, a reclamation of presence, and an invitation to see deeply.

SOFIA GADBOIS

Richmond, VA

Acrylic, wax, 30 x 40 inches, 2025.

$575

sofiagadboisstudio.com

This piece is one of many that have taught me how to live and how to heal after experiencing tremendous loss and upheaval in my life. In 2020, I watched my brother disappear into the elusive haze of schizophrenia. To this day, I hope to find him somewhere in the void and pull him out - but the void is a dark place that I can never enter, despite how enticing it seems. So, with strong forces against me, I wasn’t able to help him, and instead I started to paint. As I witnessed him fragment into pieces, it was through the act of creation I realized the parts of myself that had been sequestered. Up until that point, I had no idea I was a lesbian, though there were definitely signs. Now, the canvas is a place to follow my own heart, gut and mind. The artwork submitted is an example of freedom to be exactly who I am through improvisation and intuition. My identity informs this artwork through the act of trusting each movement and accepting the need for change.

My name is Sofia, and I’m a queer abstract intuitive artist based in Richmond, VA. I work with acrylic paint and pastels on canvas and paper, exploring themes of healing from C-PTSD, understanding psychosis, and living in imperfect connection with spirit. My process is rooted in improvisation, intuition, and trust.

As a queer person and trauma survivor, learning to assert myself and trust my inner knowing has been a long process—one that wasn’t taught to me but rather something I’ve had to uncover on my own. The pieces submitted embody this process. There is no roadmap for abstract expressionism, just like there is no roadmap for healing or being queer. By painting in layers, each piece revealed itself through mindful intuitive exercises. Taking into consideration form, composition and color, but ultimately, taking the next best action that felt right in my body. Making art is my resistance, revolution and joy in response to my past wounds of hiding myself for the sake of survival.

MAYA GRAINE

University City, MO

Digital photograph, 6 x 17 inches, 2025.

$100

mayagraine.com

My identity as a disabled woman influences every aspect of my art practice, including the content of my work, as well as how I am able to create. I choose to identify as a disabled person, rather than a person with disabilities, because my limitations are integral to my daily life, and I am not ashamed of that fact. I want my work to generate conversation around the topic, so I am very open about how it impacts all aspects of my personhood, especially my sexual identity, as the medicalization of my body fundamentally changed my relationship with intimacy and touch. Much of my life is void of glamor, as I navigate the medical system and undergo invasive procedures, so I am drawn to aesthetic elements of classic Hollywood glitz and glam. I want to combat the stereotype that disability is inherently unattractive and showcase the beauty in difference.

In my practice, I start by inviting the male gaze through elements of sex appeal and glamor. Then, I resist or block the gaze using indicators of sickness and disability, prompting the viewer to question why their initial feelings shifted. As a disabled woman, I experience a complex relationship with beauty, glamor, and sensuality, often viewing my femininity as my adversary due to the biological issues I associate with it. I want my viewers to see this struggle and sympathize or empathize with it and gain a better understanding of the impacts of hidden disabilities.

LYNNETTE GRIMM

St. Petersburg, FL

Acrylic, 14 x 11 inches, 2025.

$1000

lynnettegrimm.com

My identity as a woman and an artist deeply informs my work, particularly my exploration of beauty, decay, and resistance against societal expectations. Growing up in a culture that glorifies youth and perfection while discarding the aging and imperfect, I have always been drawn to the tension between what is deemed glamorous and what is cast aside. My work challenges these ideals by revealing beauty in transformation—the weathered, the worn, the evolving.

For Glamour is Resistance, I submit a piece that reclaims power in the unconventional. Through rich textures and layered color, I explore femininity as something not fragile but enduring, not fading but evolving. In an era where bodily autonomy is under attack, I use my art to reject oppressive narratives and celebrate the resilience of those who refuse to conform. My work stands as a declaration: glamour is not compliance—it is defiance, reclamation, and the audacity to exist unapologetically.

My work explores the beauty found in decay, capturing the tension between life and time’s inevitable transformation. Through painting and mixed media, I examine resilience in the face of impermanence, whether through nature’s slow erosion or the societal pressures imposed on aging bodies. I focus on challenging political involvement in the bodies and lives of individuals, particularly the oppression of non-white, non-cis, and non-heteronormative communities. My art stands as a visual protest, reclaiming narratives and spaces for those marginalized by systemic structures.

Expanding beyond canvas, I integrate fiber arts, sculpture, woodworking, and functional design to build immersive pieces that blur the line between fine art and everyday existence. Whether through furniture, household decor, or textural compositions, my work invites viewers to engage with the material world as a living, evolving entity—one that bears the scars of time and transformation yet remains undeniably powerful.

GILLIAN GRUNENFELDER

Richmond, VA

Acrylic on Canvas, 18 x 24 inches, 2025.

NFS

Throughout my life I have personally struggled with what it means to be ""female"", and to be ""feminine."" My personal connection to the idea of gender and sexuality is a turbulent one, constantly in change and motion. I often feel a sense of frustration towards too harsh lines drawn by heteronormativity. I use art to express these observations, frustrations, and personal expressions of self that I often struggle to put into words.

Gillian Grunenfelder is a painter whose work captures themes of gender expression, exploration, and empowerment. Through the manipulation of stereotypes and expectations of women as subjects in art, she brings into question the behaviors, actions, appearances, and roles the female body must don in order to prevail as "high art." Though her paintings exude a pleasant dissonance, they are meant to serve as summarizations of reality; in which concepts of female normality and gender expectations are dissected and criticized, placed on a pedestal, and shown just how surreal they are.

The work "Such Pretty Things" encapsulates my personal experiences surrounding gender expression and how it relates to dress, and outward appearance. In the work, feminine figures adorn themselves in various animal parts in order to appear mystical, fantastical, and “superior”. Though they maintain a sense of beauty, there is also an inherent undertone of violence to their dress.

HARRY JAMES HANSON & DEVIN ANTHEUS

Brooklyn, NY

Pigmented archival print, 27.5 x 22 inches, 2023.

$3325

harryjameshanson.com

I have always been drawn to glamour. When people ask, ""How long have you been doing drag?"" I never know quite how to answer. I first performed in Brooklyn in 2012, I joined Milwaukee's cast of Rocky Horror in 2006 while in high school, I began filming my own characters at age 10, and I've had a dress-up box since age 3. As a teenager first stepping into my queer identity, drag presented limitless potential for expression, debauchery, and rebellion. I didn't realize at the time that I was taking part in an ancient, sacred art form. By creating collaborative portraits of drag queen elders, I have connected deeply to this inherited lineage, tracing its way back to the origins of divine performance and struggle for gender liberation. These queens know what resistance means: they are survivors who have championed their art for decades, in a world hostile toward their unapologetic glamour. Celebrating their legacies through portraiture clears a path to resistance for future queer artists.

My artistic practice centers queer stories and transmits countercultural histories. Queerness is the embodiment of resistance against the binary and heteronormative paradigms, choosing glamour over the mundane. My photographic work is informed by my lifelong experience as a drag artist, a medium where glamour is sacred. Through eccentric and colorful portraits of other artists, I forge divine collaborations which celebrate the expansive potential of gender and identity. With a maximal approach to art direction and styling, as well as a deep commitment to pushing the boundaries of taste, my photography elaborates the formal and conceptual lexicon of camp.

HARRY JAMES HANSON & DEVIN ANTHEUS

Brooklyn, NY

Pigmented archival print, 22 X 27.5 inches, 2021.

$3325

harryjameshanson.com

I have always been drawn to glamour. When people ask, ""How long have you been doing drag?"" I never know quite how to answer. I first performed in Brooklyn in 2012, I joined Milwaukee's cast of Rocky Horror in 2006 while in high school, I began filming my own characters at age 10, and I've had a dress-up box since age 3. As a teenager first stepping into my queer identity, drag presented limitless potential for expression, debauchery, and rebellion. I didn't realize at the time that I was taking part in an ancient, sacred art form. By creating collaborative portraits of drag queen elders, I have connected deeply to this inherited lineage, tracing its way back to the origins of divine performance and struggle for gender liberation. These queens know what resistance means: they are survivors who have championed their art for decades, in a world hostile toward their unapologetic glamour. Celebrating their legacies through portraiture clears a path to resistance for future queer artists.

My artistic practice centers queer stories and transmits countercultural histories. Queerness is the embodiment of resistance against the binary and heteronormative paradigms, choosing glamour over the mundane. My photographic work is informed by my lifelong experience as a drag artist, a medium where glamour is sacred. Through eccentric and colorful portraits of other artists, I forge divine collaborations which celebrate the expansive potential of gender and identity. With a maximal approach to art direction and styling, as well as a deep commitment to pushing the boundaries of taste, my photography elaborates the formal and conceptual lexicon of camp.

HARRY JAMES HANSON & DEVIN ANTHEUS

Brooklyn, NY

Pigmented archival print, 27.5 x 22 inches, 2019.

$3325

harryjameshanson.com

I have always been drawn to glamour. When people ask, ""How long have you been doing drag?"" I never know quite how to answer. I first performed in Brooklyn in 2012, I joined Milwaukee's cast of Rocky Horror in 2006 while in high school, I began filming my own characters at age 10, and I've had a dress-up box since age 3. As a teenager first stepping into my queer identity, drag presented limitless potential for expression, debauchery, and rebellion. I didn't realize at the time that I was taking part in an ancient, sacred art form. By creating collaborative portraits of drag queen elders, I have connected deeply to this inherited lineage, tracing its way back to the origins of divine performance and struggle for gender liberation. These queens know what resistance means: they are survivors who have championed their art for decades, in a world hostile toward their unapologetic glamour. Celebrating their legacies through portraiture clears a path to resistance for future queer artists.

My artistic practice centers queer stories and transmits countercultural histories. Queerness is the embodiment of resistance against the binary and heteronormative paradigms, choosing glamour over the mundane. My photographic work is informed by my lifelong experience as a drag artist, a medium where glamour is sacred. Through eccentric and colorful portraits of other artists, I forge divine collaborations which celebrate the expansive potential of gender and identity. With a maximal approach to art direction and styling, as well as a deep commitment to pushing the boundaries of taste, my photography elaborates the formal and conceptual lexicon of camp.

ABROSE HEMANDEZ GODOY

Henrico, VA

Mixed media, 35 x 22 inches, 2022.

NFS

My work is directly influenced by my cultural up-bringing as a queer immigrant. After spending my entire life being treated as the Other in white American society, my work shifted to reflect my experiences in an unambiguous manner. My work is unapologetically rooted in Mexican aesthetics and cultural references processed through a queer lens. Coming from a Oaxacan background, there is a very rich history of gender non-confirming and queer communities known as muxes that have thrived since before the introduction of colonialism. I often look towards and reference these rich cultural histories and relate them to my modern perspective of queerness living abroad.

I work using themes of sarcastic body horror, Zapotec culture, queerness as resistance, the monstrous feminine, and cultural Catholicism. As a queer immigrant my work focuses on the concept of being perceived as The Other, and the connotations of monstrosity assigned to those who are considered to be The Other by larger society. My works revolve around body horror of the demonized Other as a form of reclamation. If we are seen as monstrous, there is strength in leaning towards that narrative instead of rejecting it. If we are redefining gender and sexuality, why not reach towards redefining what is seen as beautiful as well. This concept extends to material usage as well. Working with second hand and reused materials considered waste, is an exploration of the Chicano artistic sensibility of rasquachismo. The inclusion of unwanted, yet usable items, is a critique on maximalist excess and how (over)consumption extends to people with marginalized identities being treated as discardable.

TOM HILL

Brentwood, MD

Mixed-media construction, 8 x 10 x 5.5 inches, 2024.

$1000

tomhillartist.com

As I was coming up and coming out as a gay pup in the 1970’s, I was taken under the wings of elders in the community. They schooled me in the queer arts: how to dress to my most attractive advantage, sexual roles and the art of cruising, and the world of camp. Camp culture was steeped in the glamour of 1930’s Hollywood. For me, it was exemplified a pair of silver platforms, heavy mascara, and hair that was bleached and tinted platinum blonde. This sensibility was reinforced through glam rock and consecrated by punk and has become a foundation of my world view. My experience in queer activism has included direct action, street theater, agitprop, and queer-infused art. My art infuses elements of artificiality upon the natural to create a theatrical religiosity saturated in camp, glamour, and radical queerness. Standing on the shoulders of my forebearers, I dare to make art that requires mounting demonstrations of courage and underscores power acts of resistance. Now more than ever.

My work focuses on harnessing, reinforcing, and expanding the untamed forces of queer masculine energy. Like other expressions of queer experience, the pieces take on disruptive elements of de- and re-construction, promiscuous flamboyance, and ironic whimsy. The queer spirit of shapeshifter is a prominent theme, involving found and chosen materials whose original forms and functions are coaxed into transformational statuses that disguise, subvert, and confound. I turn things upside/down and inside/out, form new and shifting combinations, and design space that is disruptive, but oddly calming. These pieces evoke continuing themes of churning sexuality and swirling gender realities, embodying an evolving queer energy bristling with agitation and reveling in delight. They have both fluff and substance, celebrating a beauty of artifice, of chemical enhancement, and of self-creation – a beauty born in the act of transformation from what we have been given to who we dare to become.

TOM HILL

Brentwood, MD

Mixed-media construction, 10 x 8 x 7 inches, 2024.

$1000

tomhillartist.com

As I was coming up and coming out as a gay pup in the 1970’s, I was taken under the wings of elders in the community. They schooled me in the queer arts: how to dress to my most attractive advantage, sexual roles and the art of cruising, and the world of camp. Camp culture was steeped in the glamour of 1930’s Hollywood. For me, it was exemplified a pair of silver platforms, heavy mascara, and hair that was bleached and tinted platinum blonde. This sensibility was reinforced through glam rock and consecrated by punk and has become a foundation of my world view. My experience in queer activism has included direct action, street theater, agitprop, and queer-infused art. My art infuses elements of artificiality upon the natural to create a theatrical religiosity saturated in camp, glamour, and radical queerness. Standing on the shoulders of my forebearers, I dare to make art that requires mounting demonstrations of courage and underscores power acts of resistance. Now more than ever.

My work focuses on harnessing, reinforcing, and expanding the untamed forces of queer masculine energy. Like other expressions of queer experience, the pieces take on disruptive elements of de- and re-construction, promiscuous flamboyance, and ironic whimsy. The queer spirit of shapeshifter is a prominent theme, involving found and chosen materials whose original forms and functions are coaxed into transformational statuses that disguise, subvert, and confound. I turn things upside/down and inside/out, form new and shifting combinations, and design space that is disruptive, but oddly calming. These pieces evoke continuing themes of churning sexuality and swirling gender realities, embodying an evolving queer energy bristling with agitation and reveling in delight. They have both fluff and substance, celebrating a beauty of artifice, of chemical enhancement, and of self-creation – a beauty born in the act of transformation from what we have been given to who we dare to become.

L. E. KINCAID

Newport News, VA

Ceramics, wood, foam, acrylic, ribbon, 23 x 23 x 23 inches, 2025.

$1200

linnkincaid.wixsite.com

As a bisexual individual, representing queer identities, challenging societal norms, and celebrating self-expression are important to me. I strive to resist the pressures to conform to a singular or rigid identity.

In this artwork, six figures hold colorful ribbons that weave around a maypole in a celebratory dance. The figures, each uniquely adorned, embody the spirit of self-expression. The act of braiding the Maypole, traditionally associated with unity, takes on new meaning here as the figures assert their presence, refusing to conform to prescribed norms. The piece serves as a symbol of unity, defiance, beauty, identity, and resilience. The work invites the viewer to reconsider the notions of beauty, urging them to celebrate differences in a world that often seeks to marginalize. The figures become metaphors for the diversity of queer identities, as each figure braids together not only the past and the present but also the many facets of their individual and collective existence.

OLIVER KRUEGER

Louisville, KY

Cyanotype on fabric and crochet, 24 x 10 inches, 2025.

NFS

The work stems from my experience as a trans individual raised by my uncle, a gay drag queen. After his passing I have spent numerous hours looking through photos of his life and community, reveling in the spirit that I found captured in these images despite the looming impact of the AIDS epidemic. These pieces are created in honor of my grief, in the grief for my uncle but also in his grief for the loved ones he lost. And just as strongly these pieces are created to cherish queer joy, the love and strength that we hold in times of uncertainly, just as we did then we too can do now.

Drawing upon family photographs of the queer community from the 1980s, these cyanotypes serve as a representation of found family and the tenderness in its intimate bonds. The images and crochet symbolize not only the gentleness of love but the resilience of these relationships, showcasing the pride and solidarity within the community. The crochet mirrors the intricacies of queerness through history, strands flow in and out, some come to an end, yet the pattern continues on just as we do. Each embellished photograph captures a fleeting moment of affection and connection, intricately woven together through the perseverance of individuals who, in the face of adversity, found strength and unity in one another.

OLIVER KRUEGER

Louisville, KY

Cyanotype on fabric and crochet, 24 x 10 inches, 2025.

NFS

The work stems from my experience as a trans individual raised by my uncle, a gay drag queen. After his passing I have spent numerous hours looking through photos of his life and community, reveling in the spirit that I found captured in these images despite the looming impact of the AIDS epidemic. These pieces are created in honor of my grief, in the grief for my uncle but also in his grief for the loved ones he lost. And just as strongly these pieces are created to cherish queer joy, the love and strength that we hold in times of uncertainly, just as we did then we too can do now.

Drawing upon family photographs of the queer community from the 1980s, these cyanotypes serve as a representation of found family and the tenderness in its intimate bonds. The images and crochet symbolize not only the gentleness of love but the resilience of these relationships, showcasing the pride and solidarity within the community. The crochet mirrors the intricacies of queerness through history, strands flow in and out, some come to an end, yet the pattern continues on just as we do. Each embellished photograph captures a fleeting moment of affection and connection, intricately woven together through the perseverance of individuals who, in the face of adversity, found strength and unity in one another.

SOPHIE LEININGER

Oakland, CA

Ink on plastic, 11 x 8.5 inches, 2020.

$225

sophieleininger.com

My queer identity is inherent to this work. Queer erotic art, particularly images that depict the female body, have an utterly different impact when made by and for queer people. This series is not just about queer pleasure, it is for queer pleasure.

I am an Oakland, CA based multidisciplinary artist. My work centers collaboration, truth telling, and exercising an unapologetically free spirit. I believe the humorous and endearing can heal, that camp can be chic, and that there is strength in vulnerability.

These erotic illustrations reflect my experience of reading and feeling into Audre Lorde's Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power, as well as a concept that came through a trauma informed care workshop, "interoceptive awareness." In appropriating pornography and making it erotic (using Lorde's distinctive definition), I was taken by the way the ink moves on the plastic. It depicts, to me, the way sex feels and not just how it looks. Making these works conjured the erotic in my own body, due as much to the process as the subject matter. Specifically reclaiming lesbian sex largely formulated for the male gaze through this medium insists on making visible female pleasure, not just for the subjects but also my own.

SOPHIE LEININGER

Oakland, CA

Ink on plastic, 11 x 8.5 inches, 2020.

$225

sophieleininger.com

My queer identity is inherent to this work. Queer erotic art, particularly images that depict the female body, have an utterly different impact when made by and for queer people. This series is not just about queer pleasure, it is for queer pleasure.

I am an Oakland, CA based multidisciplinary artist. My work centers collaboration, truth telling, and exercising an unapologetically free spirit. I believe the humorous and endearing can heal, that camp can be chic, and that there is strength in vulnerability.

These erotic illustrations reflect my experience of reading and feeling into Audre Lorde's Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power, as well as a concept that came through a trauma informed care workshop, "interoceptive awareness." In appropriating pornography and making it erotic (using Lorde's distinctive definition), I was taken by the way the ink moves on the plastic. It depicts, to me, the way sex feels and not just how it looks. Making these works conjured the erotic in my own body, due as much to the process as the subject matter. Specifically reclaiming lesbian sex largely formulated for the male gaze through this medium insists on making visible female pleasure, not just for the subjects but also my own.

ISAIAH MAMO

Richmond, VA

Digital Photography, Creative Direction, 30 x 20 inches, 2024.

$333

LIGHTPAINTERR.mypixieset.com

My identity as a Queer + Non-binary Ethiopian-American forms and shapes the materiality and orientation of my work, as I'm largely drawing from magical and Christian art forms and spiritual practices to reinterpolate them into these talismanic image-- communicating pride through a both Queer and Ethiopian lens, inspired largely by the 'Zega' political movement in the Ethiopian diaspora as well as Sara Ahmed's 2006 philosophical work 'Queer Phenomenology'.
In beginning my photography art practice years back, I would always collaborate with my Queer friends for stylizing shoots, then I eventually began capturing Queer nightlife and photographing a lot of drag shows downtown and working on larger concept work with my drag performer friends. Through my art practice, I'm largely interested in bringing different aspects of Queer culture, protest, philosophy, and pop culture into high-brow art spaces through photography and material exploration.

My work 'queers' the photographic processes through alternative photography and printing, embedding identity into materiality through unconventional printing surfaces such as leather, clay, and spices that aim to expand the definition of photography. Drawing from Ethiopian Orthodox art, drag culture, protest, industrial aesthetics, philosophy, mysticism, and various American music subcultures I craft tactile objects that resist commodification, transforming personal and collective Queer narratives into bold assertions of identity and manifestations of protection through images. My photography centers and empowers Queer people of color and explores elements of glamour stylistically through fashion, makeup, and drag as further extensions of the self.

DANIEL MOROWITZ

Jersey City, NJ

Acrylic on canvas, 15 x 20 inches, 2024.

$1200

I am a queer artist.

Queer culture and visibility are more important than ever in a moment where queer identity and queer bodies are under attack. Painting has a responsibility to its own history, but functions powerfully as a tool to combat the dangers that queerness is facing. My work is fiction that attempts to elevate queer realities to the level of mythological canon. Queer culture mythologizes sex and sexuality as equal parts abject and the ultimate out of reach experience. it’s normalized, demonized and sometimes beyond reach; in my paintings queer identity is coded to exist hidden in plain sight, coexisting between oppression and desire, a chimeric blending of coexistent realities. By mixing objects, gestures, and positioning, my painting language takes on a symbolic double-speak; the banality of a blade of grass is suddenly a phallus with the correct placement.

DANIEL MOROWITZ

Jersey City, NJ

Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2024.

$1200

I am a queer artist.

Queer culture and visibility are more important than ever in a moment where queer identity and queer bodies are under attack. Painting has a responsibility to its own history, but functions powerfully as a tool to combat the dangers that queerness is facing. My work is fiction that attempts to elevate queer realities to the level of mythological canon. Queer culture mythologizes sex and sexuality as equal parts abject and the ultimate out of reach experience. it’s normalized, demonized and sometimes beyond reach; in my paintings queer identity is coded to exist hidden in plain sight, coexisting between oppression and desire, a chimeric blending of coexistent realities. By mixing objects, gestures, and positioning, my painting language takes on a symbolic double-speak; the banality of a blade of grass is suddenly a phallus with the correct placement.

JEREMY NOONAN

Pleasant Ridge, MI

Cotton bobbinet, reflective vinyl, bias tape, 40 x 28 inches, 2024.

$5000

noonanstudio.com

I came of age during the Reagan era, where politics opposed LGBTQ+ rights, and the government’s inaction during the AIDS crisis mirrored that hostility. My first glimpses of queer lives came through Oprah, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Phil Donahue, or sensationalized portrayals in media. Survival meant navigating oppressive spaces like high school and work cautiously. At home, secrecy weighed heavily - Mom was onto me.

In late 1993, at age 16, everything changed. Armed with a fake ID, my best friend took me to my first gay nightclub. As I entered the door. Dee-Lite’s ""Groove Is In The Heart"" thumped as fog blurred the air, and for the first time, I felt free. In that space, surrounded by strangers who understood, there was no judgment, only connection, empowerment, and validation. Love was in the air.

My artwork Gossamer Night 2.0  addresses the theme Glamour is Resistance through a mosaic of mirrored vinyl on cotton bobbinet. The layered image of disco balls evokes a visual language of celebration, community, and defiance. Disco, once a vibrant space for queer people and communities of color, was targeted by the “Disco Sucks” movement—a backlash that thinly veiled racism and homophobia. By reconstructing this symbol of joy into a textile, I reclaim disco’s legacy as one of resistance through glamour. The work honors the power of ornamentation, light, and visibility as tools for resilience and radical presence.

ANNIKA PAPKE

Washington, DC

Acrylic on Panel, 8 x 8 inches, 2024.

$350

I am a queer woman who likes to engage with media that is targeted towards woman and queer people, audiences that are often overlooked when determining what media counts as ""serious"" or ""worthy"" of larger cultural significance.

The pieces I submitted are the 3 finalist queens from the TV show RuPaul's Drag Race. I am a huge reality TV fan and love painting from the shows I watch -- in part because I think they make interesting subjects, but also because they serve as a reflection of our culture and what is happening in it. I believe that in creating space for ourselves on national television, the queens competing open themselves up to a much larger, national stage and cement queerness and often also messiness as a major part of today's pop culture.

ANNIKA PAPKE

Washington, DC

Acrylic on Panel, 8 x 8 inches, 2024.

$350

I am a queer woman who likes to engage with media that is targeted towards woman and queer people, audiences that are often overlooked when determining what media counts as ""serious"" or ""worthy"" of larger cultural significance.

The pieces I submitted are the 3 finalist queens from the TV show RuPaul's Drag Race. I am a huge reality TV fan and love painting from the shows I watch -- in part because I think they make interesting subjects, but also because they serve as a reflection of our culture and what is happening in it. I believe that in creating space for ourselves on national television, the queens competing open themselves up to a much larger, national stage and cement queerness and often also messiness as a major part of today's pop culture.

ANNIKA PAPKE

Washington, DC

Acrylic on Panel, 8 x 8 inches, 2024.

$350

I am a queer woman who likes to engage with media that is targeted towards woman and queer people, audiences that are often overlooked when determining what media counts as ""serious"" or ""worthy"" of larger cultural significance.

The pieces I submitted are the 3 finalist queens from the TV show RuPaul's Drag Race. I am a huge reality TV fan and love painting from the shows I watch -- in part because I think they make interesting subjects, but also because they serve as a reflection of our culture and what is happening in it. I believe that in creating space for ourselves on national television, the queens competing open themselves up to a much larger, national stage and cement queerness and often also messiness as a major part of today's pop culture.

JOHN PARADISO

Brentwood, MD

Mixed media collage, 11.5 x 11.5 inches, 2025.

$425

john-paradiso.com

My work is an ongoing exploration of my Gay male identity. At times, the work is a statement about my experiences navigating a sex–positive lifestyle among a prevalence of sex-negative messages. At other times, the work is my way to honor my feminine side while striving to be more masculine. In the work, I try to represent a Queer fluid masculinity. For me the work is a celebration of masculinity that is informed by the feminine.

1. I am fascinated and attracted to the Leather Community and its cultured display of masculinity. I am friends with many Leathermen whose personalities are very warm and fuzzy. I love that hard and soft dichotomy, as well as the gender bending that is happening in the modern leather community. With Leather, Garters, and Heels, I celebrate my friend Timo (Sydney Mr. Leather 2024)  and how he moves through the world unapologetically.

2. I am concerned that the Supreme Court will overturn my marriage. We have been partners long before Marriage Equality. We are old and in love. I use pansy imagery for its historical significance as a disparaging term for a man or boy who was considered either effeminate or homosexual. The irony is that the pansy is a very hardy flower. A term once meant to be ugly and hurtful remains resistant and pretty.

3. Because I think there is so much hate in this world, I tried to make a collage that illustrated the idea of love as a fetish.

MARK PRICE

Richmond, VA

Oil on panel, 24 x 18 inches, 2023.

$1575

modernmagicalthinking.com

I am what my painting says I am. Identity to me is not a fixed thing but a journey, just like every painting is a journey of discovery that begins as a vague idea and become something else as it goes. At this stage and in these works I am discovering strongly feminine expression that wants out. It is not that my homosexuality is new. I've known about that forever but its expression through art is something new and about time since at 67 I am beginning to be elderly. I think that explains the intensity of this expression.

My work addresses ideas of exposure and vulnerability when an honest expression of artistic and erotic feeling is conveyed to stand against a too narrow a view of sexual expression. My idea is to use a positive and humorous treatment of homoerotic nakedness, not to shock normal people but to nevertheless confront narrow and fixed notions that stand in denial of out truly androgynous human nature. Nakedness and Glamour are two sides of the same coin that presents us at our best as an offence to community standards and so calls them into question. Thank you. I hope you will enjoy my work.

VINCE QUEVEDO

Kent, OH

Art Quilt, 36 x 27.5 inches, 2025.

$1000

Because my work reflects the human condition, my authentic self has been my strength in identifying underrepresented communities through my art.  Being part of the queer community has been an essential part of my personal and professional life and has forged my way into a creative path. The traditional craft of quilting has undergone a significant evolution with the integration of digital and sewing technologies. My work has expanded the possibilities of quilting and transformed how we approach this craft. By seamlessly integrating digital images and surface design with texture, I have found a way to convey my artistic concepts through fabric. This innovative use of high-tech technology in a traditionally low-tech craft has given rise to a unique art form, which I proudly call art quilting. It has broadened the horizons of artmaking and ushered in a new era in quilting, akin to a digital renaissance.

My artistic expression is intricately woven into human experiences, reflective practice, and experiential learning through creation. I utilize quilting, handcrafting, and photography to examine the diverse facets of contemporary culture and society with meticulous scrutiny. Positioned within the arts and culture domain, it honors human imagination as manifested through art. Design thinking is fundamental to my methodology as I transform personal insights and concepts into tangible embodiments. Additionally, I creatively utilize digital technology to bring my ideas to life and craft a distinctive and engaging perspective that allows viewers to connect with me.

CIAO ROBINSON

Richmond, VA

Acrylic, gel medium, chiffon, glitter, and pen on canvas, 12 x 16 inches, 2025.

$350

As a transgender person I have experienced the joy of being able to medically and socially transition to the gender that I identify with. Hormone replacement therapy saved my life, as it helped me learn to love my body and my identity. It is also amazing to think about the fact that transgender people now have options for making their body more comfortable to live in, when in the past we have been forced to mature and age in bodies that do not entirely feel like our own. I find that in art spaces there is a severe lack of discussion around transitioning, and oftentimes I find that transgender artists are ignored in our society in favor of stories that are "easier to understand". In times where access to gender affirming care is being threatened, we must continue to make trans-positive art and speak out against untrue narratives that surround hormone replacement therapy and gender confirming surgeries.

When I hear the phrase "Glamor is Resistance" I immediately think of gender affirming care and self-love. The act of embracing one's true self is the ultimate act of resistance. We often hear the phrase "existence is resistance," but what does that mean for transgender people? To simply exist is not enough, as one must also have self-love to survive. Throughout history transgender people have continued to exist, despite hardships. Now because of modern medicine, transgender people can experience living as their identity even more intensely than ever before. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is demonized by its critics, whereas scientific studies have shown that this treatment is lifesaving. The alleviation of gender dysphoria can feel magical or even glamorous to the people that undergo HRT, and this artwork exists to push against narratives that paint it as harmful or unnecessary.

MEICHISEDEK SHABAZZ

Richmond, VA

Woodcut, 49 x 25 inches, 2025.

$2000

afrospectrum.art

As a Black man in america who identifies as gay, my entire existence is resistance and resilience. My goal as an artist is to understand myself more intimately while expressing aspects of my personality that have been concealed due to fear of rejection. All of my art features Black Queer people and experiences because this subculture of people is often facing alienation and scrutiny from both Black and Queer communities. Queer culture, while heavily influenced by Black culture, has historically appealed to whiteness and consequentially pushed other diverse communities to the sidelines. Through my work, I aim to showcase and celebrate these unique experiences of queerness to ensure that all Black queer people like me know that we have a space in this community and deserve to be seen.

Melchisedek Shabazz is a fine artist with a focus on printmaking based in Richmond, Virginia. After gaining his Bachelor's in Fine Arts/Graphic Design at Norfolk State University, Shabazz creates woodcuts and illustrations that reflect the experiences of queer African Americans through the lenses of self-discovery, mental health and celebration.

Through his work, Shabazz aims to accurately depict subcultures within the African diaspora that are often overlooked by stereotypes and societal standards. He uses his own lived experiences to draw inspiration in hopes that others can feel seen through his artwork.

The work I've submitted for this exhibit aligns with the theme in many ways. I am very intentional about the feel of my pieces, influencing my color palette and composition. My work's aesthetic is bright and glamorous, intentionally contrasting with the deep heavy meanings. Each work uniquely depicts resistance from a new perspective that encourages audiences to rethink beliefs.

JOSHUA SINGLETON

Port Allen, LA

Porcelain, underglaze, celadon glaze, 2 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches, 2025.

NFS

Growing up in conservative Christian communities as both queer and Korean, it was difficult to express or even question my identity until I was older. Through my ceramic work I stand within my queerness. I reimagine traditional motifs to weave my personal narrative into my art. Nature themes are prevalent in my work, as I found solace and beauty in the natural world during the lonely times of my past.

Growing up as a child of a Korean mother and West Virginian father, I struggled with feeling “American enough” or “Korean enough”. To reconnect with my heritage and identity, I create utilitarian ceramics which address the intersectional relations of my Korean-American background. By repurposing traditional motifs, I explore the beauty of the Korean diasporic experience. Through my work, I hope to bring visibility and uplift those caught between two cultures.

Coming from two backgrounds that do not accept my queer identity, this piece serves as an affirmation to my relationship with my partner. Through surface decoration I reference my partner and I with symbolic motifs to depict the strength and resilience of our bond. In Korean culture, the moon is often a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. Growing up my mother would often use the phrase “하늘땅 만큼”, when interpreted means “I love you to the moon and back”. I reclaimed it to celebrate the life we’ve built together despite adversity.

JONATHAN STEVENS

Port Allen, LA

Original archival digital print, 10 x 8 inches, 2025.

$500

jonathanstevens.art

Jonathan Stevens is native to West Baton Rouge Louisiana, living near the Mississippi River within the historic Monte Vista sugar plantation area. His work is shaped by the landscape, a mix of petrochemical plants, a prison farm, and the vibrant flora and fauna of his childhood. He excavates memories and personal artifacts to reconcile his experiences as a gay man from a small Louisiana town with his current self, navigating the joys and burdens of that journey.

His art combines romantic and realistic viewpoints, seeking meaning in existence and happiness. Jonathan often uses natural objects from his curated collection of “precious treasures,” recontextualizing them to communicate his thoughts and emotions. Recently, he has embraced digital media, allowing him to expand his studio practice's scale and versatility while balancing work and family. This shift has enabled the evolution of his visual vocabulary, creating a unique language that reflects his life experiences.

In defense of our existence, many insist through the uncensored and unvarnished expression of our personalities on a secondary language beyond our native tongues of unconventional beauty & ferocious aesthetic. The new language is meant to elevate us out of a subculture that we have been relegated to and into a true culture with its own shared language, history, and practices.  In this practice we use our bodies, our clothes, our voices, and our talents to participate in an uncanny alliance with one another, expressing a shared difference from the heteronormative world. We express ourselves and stand our ground. We resist and refuse to be identified as something less than what we are, or less than how we choose to live.  These works draw on images of war craft and protest. The iconic image from 1989 Tiananmen Square protest in China as seen in Appeal to heaven II has been re contextualized to reflect my personal experience and point of view.

DEVYN WEATHERFOLD

El Paso, TX

Ceramic, glaze, 22 x 11 x 9 inches, 2023.

$450

I have struggled immensely with my gender identity and used work similar to this to explore my feelings about my body and the capabilities of it. I see all of my work as an extension and portrait of myself. So ,this work, “Mother of Mine n.3” is another way I learned about my gender expression and the importance of being true and unwavering in my identity. I find myself in limbo thinking about the connection between my body and mind, so I seek out clay and sculpture to fill in the gaps of identity within my mind. This sculpture is an example of me reaching for a physical representation of what’s in my mind.

As a teenager living in the south, gender and sexuality were confusing for me but they gave me an outlet to learn about others and navigate my way through the ups and downs of not being cisgender/heterosexual. The work being submitted, “Mother of Mine n.3”, showcases a pregnant body with male genitalia. She represents the beyond of the body and pushes against the idea that we know who we are and who the person we’re looking at is. We don’t, and there is a true resistance in the unknown and even more so when that is shamelessly put on display. Pushing against gender as we know it is the way to move forward and to defend our future, not just for us, but for the children who aren’t here yet.

ZAZA WILLIS

Richmond, VA

Mixed media, reclaimed fabric, beads, ribbon, 14 x 6 inches, 2025.

$150

3000realm.com

I am a black lesbian living in Richmond, VA; this has greatly informed my body of work. In my everyday life I am constantly navigating between several different identities; being black, being a lesbian, being non-binary - none of which come with protections or guaranteed safety in the capital of the Confederacy. My identities are inherently perceived and tied to violence in a way I cannot control; no matter what space I occupy I will always be othered immediately. Our identities as black queer people are fetishized but also denigrated; we are only useful for entertainment even when our identities span far beyond that. Even in queer spaces, I feel as though the experiences and violence black/brown queer people face is often downplayed in favor of adopting more assimilationist policies. Our needs are crucial in this era.

I created this work to think more critically about that and how we perceive glamour; I think it is ironic how we can use regalia and prize ribbons to honor ourselves.

This work aims to unpack how we perceive, process and politicize black queer pain. The black queer reality is often not glamorous; we are excluded from realities that allow us to envision and manifest a world where we can truly thrive. Our reality is violence; we are inextricably connected to it. We do not have the luxury to navigate the world without constantly thinking of how our presence and expressions are perceived by others. Our pain, our struggles and our experiences are constantly worn on our sleeves.

With this piece, I want to leave a constant reminder that violence is something that is bestowed onto us as black queer people. We are ceremonially chosen at birth to wear this violence for the rest of our lives, regardless of our stake in it. We are stereotyped as violent as we navigate the violence the world puts us through. By adorning this regalia, I want the wearer to have a deeper understanding of how black queer people navigate a world in which they are targeted.

JUN YANG

San Francisco, CA

Acrylic on plywood cutout, 24 x 22 inches, 2023.

$1250

junyangart.com

As a queer Korean immigrant, my identity is the foundation of my artistic practice. I come from cultures where queerness was suppressed, and visibility was dangerous. Moving through multiple diasporas has shaped my need to create spaces where queerness, visibility, and healing are not only possible, but where I feel safe to celebrate. My work responds to systems that marginalize and erase, transforming personal trauma into collective resistance. In a time when LGBTQ+ rights and immigrant lives are threatened, art becomes my way of surviving, resisting, and connecting. My lived experience deeply connected with my work, it gives urgency and direction. Through my work, I reclaim joy, mourn loss, and make space for others navigating similar paths. Art is how I honor my lineage, my communities, and the ongoing struggle for belonging and visibility.

Glamour, for me, is a language of defiance, an insistence on being seen, adorned, and alive. My work spans painting, murals, and textile sculptures that honor queer, immigrant experiences shaped by grief, migration, and resilience. I use tenderness, touch, protection as a deliberate counter to violence and invisibility. My soft sculptures of elongated, interactive forms invite intimacy, and care. Through these materials and bodies, I challenge the norms and beauty standard. In my practice, glamour resists erasure. It becomes a method of survival, a form of protest, and a space for joy. I reclaim aesthetics not as vanity, but as legacy and resistance: to celebrate my chosen family, to heal from grief, and to imagine futures where we thrive. Each piece becomes a site of visibility, where softness is strength and ornamentation is armor.

JUN YANG

San Francisco, CA

Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 inches, 2024.

$2400

junyangart.com

As a queer Korean immigrant, my identity is the foundation of my artistic practice. I come from cultures where queerness was suppressed, and visibility was dangerous. Moving through multiple diasporas has shaped my need to create spaces where queerness, visibility, and healing are not only possible, but where I feel safe to celebrate. My work responds to systems that marginalize and erase, transforming personal trauma into collective resistance. In a time when LGBTQ+ rights and immigrant lives are threatened, art becomes my way of surviving, resisting, and connecting. My lived experience deeply connected with my work, it gives urgency and direction. Through my work, I reclaim joy, mourn loss, and make space for others navigating similar paths. Art is how I honor my lineage, my communities, and the ongoing struggle for belonging and visibility.

Glamour, for me, is a language of defiance, an insistence on being seen, adorned, and alive. My work spans painting, murals, and textile sculptures that honor queer, immigrant experiences shaped by grief, migration, and resilience. I use tenderness, touch, protection as a deliberate counter to violence and invisibility. My soft sculptures of elongated, interactive forms invite intimacy, and care. Through these materials and bodies, I challenge the norms and beauty standard. In my practice, glamour resists erasure. It becomes a method of survival, a form of protest, and a space for joy. I reclaim aesthetics not as vanity, but as legacy and resistance: to celebrate my chosen family, to heal from grief, and to imagine futures where we thrive. Each piece becomes a site of visibility, where softness is strength and ornamentation is armor.

MICHAEL YOUNG

Richmond, VA

Oil on wood, 36 x 24 inches, 2025.

$500

michaeljosephyoung.com

As a gay artist, my work is deeply informed by my identity, influencing the subject matter, color palette, and emotional distance within each piece. Living in Richmond has been a privilege, allowing me to be part of a vibrant and supportive artistic community that has profoundly shaped my creative journey. The richness of this community has not only inspired my work but has also provided a space for my artistic expression to evolve and thrive.

My work transcends racial boundaries, focusing on the universal human experience rather than identity. By using bold, non-representational colors, I aim to highlight the emotional depth and complexity of my subjects, inviting viewers to engage with the essence of the human condition.

My art critiques the attitudes of today’s generation. The delicate application of sleek oil paint mirrors the high-gloss filter sought by youth culture, encapsulating the rebellion, beauty, and mystery of urban life.