London’s queer spaces have a shiny new kid on the block. www.queercircle.org opened a physical, David Kohn Architect designed, LGBTQ+ community centre at North Greenwich’s new Design District
this week, a stone’s throw from the O2 Centre. Founded by film-maker/curator Ashley Joiner, the impressive board of trustees includes actor Russell Tovey, artist/film-maker Isaac Julien, artist Kudzanai Violet Hwami and art business development strategist Louise McKinney amongst others.
The new space offers an art gallery, exhibition, library and project spaces to enable the actioning of a community-focused program of exhibitions, artist residencies, and learning, and participation opportunities. Queercircle is developing a group of artists, curators, writers, thinkers, community organizers, grassroots organizations, charities and activists to work together to strengthen links between LGBTQ+ culture, health, and well-being. All queers and our allies are welcome, so lean in and get involved. It’s an exciting new energy that’s not based on sex or alcohol – a refreshing alternative for the queer community.
The main opening exhibition is Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s ‘Let Me Hold You’ Their work challenges existing historic binary expectations of race and gender identity. A sweeping colorful curved mural embraces visitors, creating a sanctuary for visitors to confront their own true selves in a safe and holistic environment. Ceramic sculptures and furniture encourage visitors to rest, contemplate, and connect with others. Utilizing flora and fauna motifs to emphasize the naturalness of queer love, they visualize the interconnectedness of the human and non-human experience, all the while expanding our understanding of what it means to be queer and to love.
The other opening exhibition is ‘The Queens’ Jubilee!’ This show combines rare 1970’s documentary photography and original editions of Come Together – the Gay Liberation Front newspaper – to chart the introduction of drag into radical politics and its evolution from street demos to communal living. We see the fun, jubilant, and anarchic approach the radical queens adopted for their demonstrations, performances, and ways of living. This exhibition is part of this year’s celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march.
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To tackle the limited physical spaces available for LGBTQ+ organizations in London, QUEERCIRCLE will host month-long catalyst periods in between the seasonal exhibitions to provide other LGBTQ+ organizations space free of charge to develop and deliver exciting initiatives for the LGTQ+ community. The first participating organization will be the Queer Youth Art Network, an online youth group for young queer people aged 18-26, who share a common interest in the arts.
Queercircle will also be collaborating with the Serpentine Gallery’s Back to Earth LIVE’s program of events with Queer Earth & Liquid Matters, a two-day event in July. This is part of the Serpentine Gallery’s long-term interdisciplinary artistic program responding to the climate crisis. This event will dive into transformation, queerness, the natural and unnatural, wild, decolonial, indigenous, and submerged perspectives. The program will feature talks, performances, film, and more from a stellar list of participants including Jack Halberstam, Victoria Hunt Macarena Gómez-Barris, Juan Francisco Salazar, Xavi Aguirre, P. Staff, Sebastián Calfuqueo, Adham Faramawy, Bhanu Kapil, Bones Tan Jones and Ash Fure. More information at.
https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/art-and-ideas/back-to-earth-queer-currents/
Exhibitions are on now until 8th September.
Queercircle are at Building 4, 3 Barton Yard, Soames Walk, Design District, North Greenwich, London, SE10 0BN. Open 10am-6pm daily. Closed on Mondays. IG @queercircle
Review: Ris Fatah Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
Labels: 2022, Ashley Joiner, Greenwich, London, Queercircle, review, Ris Fatah
