Queer Contemporaries at AIR Gallery in Altrincham and Online
Sara Jaspan, Exhibitions Editor
Promising a vital snapshot of where queer art is at in the UK today, Queer Contemporaries at AIR Gallery and online brings together the work of more than 30 LGBTQIA+ identifying artists in a poignant, lively and eclectic show spanning painting, sculpture, drawing, performance, film, poetry, drag and more. The carefully chosen selection celebrates ‘the queer artists on our doorstep’ and includes a number of well-known names, such as David Hoyle and Cheddar Gorgeous, as well as an exciting pick of predominately new, local and early career artists.
At AIR Gallery, encounter works by artists such as Alexander Glass, the surface of whose pristine, minimalist sculptures belies the themes of violence, narcissism and apathy they address, particularly in relation to the complex relationship between masculinity and desire. In the digital sphere, check out Arlo Lawton’s arresting photographs portraying transmasculine people in their chosen ‘safe spaces’; Sarah-Joy Ford’s digital quilts devoted to intergenerational connection between dykes, by way of SM culture, cats and Lesbian Avengers; and Ryan French’s giant, labour-intensive digital collages of dizzying fantasy environments that turn a queer lens on contemporary society and the media.
The guest exhibition at AIR Gallery has been organised by the Salford based artist-led collective Short Supply, whose northward focused curatorial practice has its finger very much on the pulse when it comes to the most exciting new art emerging the region. Queer Contemporaries forms part of Superbia – Manchester Pride’s year-round programme of culture, designed to support, curate, fund and promote LGBTQ+ events throughout Greater Manchester.
