Last night was the opening exhibition of GAY at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos Community College —a very much ‘in your face body of work by 20 artists of color exploring the shift in gay culture within the past decade.
I ran into friend and fellow Bronxite Jeffrey Guard of The Bronx Arts Exchange and we were both pretty much in awe at the exhibit and frankly quite proud that we were experiencing this in the South Bronx of all places.
Below is an excerpt of his review:
“Upon entry to the Longwood Gallery’s Gay exhibition viewers are immediately greeted by Jose Joaquin Figueroa’s massive photograph, Playboy depicting a nude attractive hirsute man wearing a communist beret and in the iconic coquettish pose of Marilyn Monroe’s Playboy centerfold. It is the gay love child of both Monroe and Che Guevara. The lush satin red backdrop coupled with the exposed naked body will make anyone stop and take notice. It is both a slap in the face and a kiss on the lips. It’s also the perfect amuse-bouche for what’s to come.
Gay organized by curator and artist Ivan Monforte is an ambitious and provocative exhibition that features 20 artists seeking to explore the ever-shifting identity of what it means to be gay. The unapologetic, uncensored and brazen tone of Gay harkens back to the days of Robert Mapplethorpe and Keith Haring. There is a fearless excitement in this aggressive and beautiful depiction of contemporary gay male culture—that hasn’t been seen in the Bronx (or the rest of NYC for a very long while).”
Please read the rest about this important exhibition:
http://www.baxnyc.com/2014/02/06/i-am-gay-and-you-re-gonna-hear-me-roar/#permalink
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