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Amid a tense election season, “Queering Democracy,” the ongoing exhibition featured at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center, reflects on the LGBTQ+ community’s ongoing struggle for freedom and equality.
“At RoCo, we believe that art has the power to reflect and challenge the most pressing issues of our time,” says Bleu Cease, RoCo’s executive director. “‘Queering Democracy’ provides a platform for artists to voice their perspectives on identity and politics, fostering a space where difficult conversations can take place and where community engagement is encouraged.”
The exhibition was produced by RoCo in partnership with ImageOut, Rochester’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, and began showing in early October. It will run through the middle of November, with its final event to be held with the Human Rights Campaign in conjunction with next week’s First Friday.
The show features the work of 44 artists from across the country in mediums ranging from paintings, photography and video to sculpture and installations. The work reflects a hostile shift the LGBTQ+ community has experienced through the 540 state-legislated bills threatening their rights and needs, especially for non-binary and transgender people.
Topics commented on by “Queering Democracy” include the restriction of drag performances, the censoring of school curriculum and book bans.
“In a political landscape where queerness has historically meant death—socially, emotionally, physically—‘Queering Democracy’ opens up possibilities of resilience,” says Patty Tomanovich, an artist from Rush. “My photographic project, ‘Atoms and Leaves,’ offers glimpses into this resilience and adaptability as the generational struggle for acceptable democracy persists.”
Tomanovich’s work is a series of images reflecting on gender identity and masculinity, and creates “windows into a utopia where transness and nature are reconnected.” The work itself was constructed from found glass and low-toxic processes.
“It was important that the pieces were made with reused or found materials,” Tomanovich’s thesis on ‘Atoms and Leaves’ explains. “Not only because it is a potential solution for our current ecological crisis, but also because resculpting available material is a very trans gesture.”
Founded in 1977, RoCo aims to be a nonprofit that provides unique encounters and extraordinary opportunities for audiences and artists alike all while serving as a center for thoughtful contemporary art.
“We are proud to present this exhibition at such a critical moment in our country’s history, and we hope it will inspire reflection, dialogue, and action,” Cease says.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. Submissions to the Letters page should be sent to [email protected].