Queer Joy – An Exhibition

Art

A curated exhibition of the most exciting up-and-coming LGBTQIA+ artists

Queer Joy – a dynamic, accessible and free to attend showcase of powerful multidisciplinary art work by emerging LGBTQIA+ artists and community members exploring pivotal stories of underrepresented queer voices and their personal journeys from a global perspective. Produced by Bold Mellon Collective and curated by the Artistic Directors Amy-Rose Edlyn and Emilia Nurmkhamet, Queer Joy is taking place in the gallery space of Stanley Arts this July, this exhibition will splatter the walls and floors with raw, uninterrupted queerness during Croydon Pride 2023!

Following its first edition at the Stanley Arts Social Cafe in June 2022, ‘Queer Joy’ is returning to Croydon as part of This is Croydon, The Mayor of London’s London Borough of Culture 2023. This exhibition has been curated from submissions by emerging queer artists based in the UK and those working/living in the Borough of Croydon. The artists submitted existing work in response to hearing, witnessing and experiencing queer joy and the parameters within which our society contains it. We have also supported five early career queer artists with seed commissions and free collaborative studio space at Turf Projects to create new work for the exhibition.

Exhibiting artists include: Anais Lalange, Corinne, Daisy Blower, Dear Annie, Eli Delbaere, Emilia Nurmukhamet, Lee Milton, Luciano Rocha, Maddie Mellon, Pear Nullack, Purrsia Kitt, Rachel Harvey, Rosy Cassaro, Ruby Ingleheart, Spunk Rock, Taia Martin, Tainted Saint, Toni Murphy and Venus Raven. Seed commission artists include: Aaran Sian, Amber Hahn, Eli Delabere, Unfinished Quirks and Rachel Sampley.

This collaborative exhibition interrogates the theme of ‘Queer Joy’ beyond the rapture… unearthing its unbound and resilient nature. What is the root of that euphoria, and where does it ignite? Our artists have turned the theme upside down and inside out. ‘Queer Joy’ encompasses a diverse selection of artworks spanning mediums including photography, film, digital art, illustration, painting, sculpture, textiles, installation art and sound. Works exhibited will be for sale with 100% of the proceeds going straight to the artist.

The exhibition will be accessible through a network of QR codes providing audio descriptions of the featured work and there will be a decompression room open on the weekends. 

Bold Mellon Collective will also be debuting their own multimedia project, ‘Queer Joy: In Conversation’, a unique, docu-style blend of film, audio, digital/instant photography with honest conversation breaking the fourth wall and taking us behind the scenes of a queer community discussing queer joy as a concept and an experience.  

Alongside the exhibition there will be a number of free community events and workshops to attend, through collaborations with Turf Projects in Croydon’s Whitgift Centre, Croydon Libraries and Queer Croydon at Stanley Arts.

About the organisers

Bold Mellon is an award-nominated multidisciplinary collective dedicated to delivering deliciously dynamic art and celebrating early career queer creatives. We produce theatre, cabaret, scratch nights, live music and club events, facilitate life drawing classes and host visual art events by and for emerging queer artists to experiment and collaborate! 

Get involved

Join Bold Mellon for their free community events this Summer. Starting with an open studio day with Queer Joy’s seed commission artists at the Whitgift Center’s Turf Projects space on June 23rd. There will also be a panel discussion exploring ‘Queer Joy’ and  Bold Mellon’s new multimedia documentary project ‘Queer Joy: In Conversation’ on July 14th at Stanley Arts, followed by an opening event! Also on the 20th July, ‘Queer Joy in Words’, an evening of queer poetry and storytelling at Purley Library.

If you would like to find out more, get in touch:
Instagram: @boldmelloncollective
Email: boldmellon@gmail.com