The Trump administration’s effort to roll back protections on LGBTQIA+ rights has threatened the existence of queer communities across the nation. Madison, known for its historically queer-friendly atmosphere, has shown its resilience in a fear-mongering era through art.
September 8–16, the inaugural Queer Madison Biennial exhibition debuted at the Commonwealth Gallery, featuring more than 30 Madison-based queer artists.
“I think under the rise of fascism in the United States, it’s an increasingly dangerous time to be queer in public. And, I think that many queer people are interested in organizing and in activism,” co-creator of the Queer Madison Biennial Exhibition, Bo Owen, said.
According to NBC News, exhibitions with LGBTQIA+ art nationwide are being postponed, altered and cancelled.
It was important for the exhibition to be curated independently from a museum or academic institution to avoid concerns of censorship, Owen said.
“We’re going to see continued censorship, continued restrictions… so it feels especially important now to proliferate queer spaces, queer events, queer programs and things that are explicitly naming themselves as such,” Owen said.
The exhibition, curated through an open call, received over 70 submissions, highlighting the diverse and growing queer art community.
Queer artists ranged from UW-Madison professors, staff, students and alumni. Sculptures, paintings, photography and more were carefully curated and crafted, each reflecting deeply personal experiences from the artists, including their relationships to the physical body, chronic illness and being a queer individual.
An MFA student at UW and artist featured in the Queer Madison Biennial Exhibition, Owen Forer, explored themes of isolation and connection through a hyperbolic, soft sculpture interpretation of two naked individuals seemingly enmeshed in one another.
“[The sculpture] is sort of bloated forms designed to fit this rectangle of a pillow….A lot of that is just thinking about some of my difficulties connecting with other people,” Forer said.
The exhibition provided an opportunity for individuals to connect through a shared interest in art, fostering connection and community, Forer said.
“There are so many artists exploring queer identities right now, and a lot of them are going in a little bit of isolation… So being able to have [artists] together for a little while and sharing that space, sharing experiences, common goals, struggles, and joys feels really important,” Forer said.
The exhibition aimed to create joyful, positive spaces for queer individuals, Owen said
The show was also mask-required to ensure accessibility for immunocompromised and disabled individuals, reflecting the broader community’s needs, Owen said.
“I think many of us do feel really isolated and really disconnected from folks who share our political values. Building community is one way that we make that first move toward having the connections and the support that we need to take action and to make change,” Owen said.
Learn more about the Queer Madison Biennial Exhibition at Queermadisonbiennial.com or @queer_madison_biennial on Instagram.
