QUEER JOY a stunning Open Air Exhibit at Kings Cross, London

 

Kings Cross London, next to the major train station of the same name, is the latest area of central London that has been gentrified.  And made more than a tad queer too.  It is home to QUEER BRITAIN the first dedicated LGBTQ museum in the UK.

Also there in Granary Square at the heart of Kings Cross is a rather fabulous open-air exhibition called QUEER JOY. The exhibit has  50 striking portraits of Queer people captured by ten emerging  LGBTQIA+ photographers from the UK and abroad. These impressive images shine a light on the unfiltered self-expression that is vital to the Queer community.

Exploring the concept of Queer Joy – the deep happiness that brings warmth and purpose to Queer lives – the Queer Joy exhibition is part of a collaboration between Queer Britain, GAY TIMES, Getty Images and Skittles that hopes to help millions of people to ‘See the Rainbow’ by working to improve LGBTQIA+ representation in photography.

 

The project is part of a multi-year campaign that aims to fill an LGBTQIA+-shaped hole in the archives, where Queer images were often erased, omitted, or nonexistent. Queer Joy will help to ensure that the archives of tomorrow are as diverse, representative, and inclusive as they should be.

This year, the group is working with 10 emerging  LGBTQIA+ photographers, selected following a nationwide search in 2022, to try and capture all identities in 1000+ images, to help tackle stereotypes in media and better represent the vibrant and dynamic  LGBTQIA+ community within the UK.

 

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The portraits will be exhibited on the benches in Granary Square, Pancras Square and Battlebridge Place as part of 
King’s Cross’ Outside Art Project. 1 June - 31 August.⁠