Queers Just Wanna Have Fun II
An online Exhibition
Juried by The Queerly Collective Team
With a global pandemic, genocide, racism, endless "phobias" of other humans, and many more gut-wrenching aspects continuing to blight our lives, we at Queerly Collective decided to do another year of Queers Just Wanna Have Fun. We all need to be and feel seen and heard, especially now. We created this exhibition to showcase pieces we feel exude joy in one way or another. Whether the artist felt joy creating it, joy is the emotion it provokes, or joy can be found somewhere in-between.
We would like to thank you for the extraordinary number of submissions we received. With this being our annual exhibition we are thrilled by the prospects for our future at Queerly Collective, as well as the ways in which we are able to serve the queer artists and makers community. We would not exist without our predecessors and without each and every one of you. Thank you for joining us in this journey, and giving us the ability to showcase these international artists. We will continue to mirror the world we desire to exist in and fight for our collective voices and visions to be seen and heard. We are humbled to be in service to our community.
​
* = Juror's Pick
WELCOME HOME CUBBYHOLE + WELCOME HOME GINGERS
Leanne Gann/ Digital/ 1200 X 1200 PX or 6’’ X 9’’ Print/ 2020
​
DURING THE PANDEMIC, I MISSED HOME IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. I’VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO LIVING ON THE OPPOSITE COAST OF MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY, ONLY BECAUSE I GOT TO BE A PART OF DIFFERENT FAMILY EVERY NIGHT I VISITED THESE SPACES. THESE PIECES REFLECT
MY LOVE AND SENSE OF HOME I FEEL WHENEVER I GO TO THE CUBBY- HOLE, GINGER’S BAR, AND HENRIETTA HUDSON.
​
COME INSIDE CUBBYHOLE + COME INSIDE HENRIETTA HUDSON
Leanne Gann/ Digital/ 1200 X 1200 PX or 6’’ X 9’’ Print/ 2020
Bejeweled VII (top)
Lauren Darrouzet/ Sterling Silver, Mirrored Acrylic, Resin, Vintage Swarovski Crystals, Sugru, Holographic Film, Steel/ 2.5” x 2.5” 0.5”/ 2020
​
Bejeweled V (middle)
Lauren Darrouzet/ Sterling Silver, Acrylic, Resin, Holographic Glitter, Cubic Zirconia, Steel/ 2” x 2” x 0.5”/ 2020
​
Bejeweled VIII (bottom)
Lauren Darrouzet/ Sterling Silver, Mirrored Acrylic, Resin, Vintage Swarovski Crystals, Sugru, Holographic Film, Steel/ 2.5” x 2.5” 0.5”/ 2020
​
My research explores childhood memories and nostalgia. I investigate longing, control, and delight in relationship to the act of collecting objects during my youth. In my recent work, references to the time in which I grew up, the 1990’s, appear in both subtle and familiar ways. Combining plastic materials, vivid colors, kinetic elements, and bright stones, my work encapsulates the joy I felt when searching for the perfect accessory.
​
Whether poring over physical objects like stones, stickers, and miniatures or wandering through my vast collections of memories, the process of making these pieces has allowed me to reexamine my childhood self and psyche. Obtaining and organizing these treasures created a sense of order in a chaotic world. The creation of this work fulfills a part of me that longs for my past – a time when life was much simpler and less complicated. The meditative act of designing and embellishing my work allows me to connect with the person I once was, which gives life to colorful, reflective, and playful ornamentation.
A wise woman once said ‘nobody cares and you won’t shut up’
Cat Gunn/ Acrylic, Oil, Alkyd, and Glitter on Canvas on Panel/ 24’’ x 20’’/ 2019
​
My work highlights moments of my life that are romantic, sentimental, nostalgic, and tragic. Through abstraction I create an underlying narrative of growing up queer and non-binary transgender, forming relationships, falling in and out of love, and examining the world around me. Many of my paintings derive from the experience of navigating space in a world where the gender binary is ingrained into many aspects. These selected works specifically highlight moments of my life in which my identity had been acknowledged, validated, and respected. My paintings revolve around the notion of creating space from a queer perspective with a playful awkwardness. These self-contained worlds are made up of repeating stripes, gradated forms, twisted squiggles, and organic shapes. Skewed geometry with hard edges flirt with expressive grounds and fields of color, creating an ambiguous space that is dizzying, strange, and dynamic. The quirky geometry and irregularity of patterns allow for vulnerable and imperfect moments, and are equally about sameness as they are about difference. The work, both as physical objects and as windows into an illusionistic world, suggests a transfer between states— erratic and ever-evolving.
