FORGING TERRITORIES features African-American and Latinx members of the LGBTQ community pioneering in a frequently inhospitable land. It presents artists engaged in cultural storytelling that describes themselves, their friends, and their environments in striking visual ways. It is an exhibition that combines established and emerging artists with a shared queer history.
About that word, queer. Rubén Esparza, founder and director of the Queer Biennial in Los Angeles and curator of FORGING TERRITORIES, has said:
“Decades back the word QUEER was a derogatory term used to de-humanize LGBTQ people. Now we’ve subverted the word and use it to both symbolize empowerment and serve as a reminder of a people’s struggles. QUEER is an umbrella term, and under its canopy are people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, gender fluid, poly-amorous, and questioning.”
SDAI presents this exhibition of LGBTQ artists of color in support of its commitment to cultural and gender equity and to serve as a catalyst in advancing remarkable regional art and artists.