The world’s largest LGBTQ art exhibition is coming to Asia this year
The Sunpride Foundation takes the lead on bettering universal culture by using contemporary art as a platform to combat sexual-orientation discrimination.
Commencing Nov. 23, 2019, and ending Mar. 1, 2020, the progressive charity will be hosting the largest exhibition of LGBTQ artworks at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC).
Following its father show “Spectrosynthesis – Asian LGBTQ Issues and Art Now,” “Spectrosynthesis II – Exposure of Tolerance: LGBTQ in Southeast Asia” will have a larger focus on engaging the public in a cultural, political, and historical dialogue about the LGBTQ experience.
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For sure “Spectrosynthesis II” will leave its mark in history. The project will include works from over 50 Asian LGBTQ artists and the BACC looks to host film screenings, performances, talks, forums, and symposiums.
Each artists’ works will come together as a collective whole to address the LGBTQ community’s desire for love, acceptance, and equality. Founder of the Sunpride Foundation Patrick Sun expressed to the Art Newspaper his conceptualization for the exhibition. He said,
“We looked at subthemes, such as personal experiences, human rights, and diversity advocacy… and focused on sharing the human experience of LGBTQ artists—the desire for love, acceptance, and to be treated as an equal.”
Photographs from the late Ren Hang’s archive will be included in the show. The young Chinese gay lensman took his life in 2017, at 29 and although we lost him as he was on the brink of his career, Hang’s works have left a major impression on a generation.
Sun showed is admiration for the late photographer, compared him to Lionel Wendt, and explained the important role of his works in the exhibition. He told the South China Morning Post,
“We will also be showing Wendt’s works, which were avant-garde at the time and remain influential even though camera technology has improved a lot. Ren was also doing something nobody had ever done before when he documented his generation in China. I believe his work will live on.”
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Along with Hang’s photographs, perspectives from the rest of the continent and overseas-based Asians will be shown at “Spectrosynthesis II.”
India’s Sunil Gupta, Hong Kong’s Samson Young, Sri Lanka’s Mario Nithiyendran, Thailand’s Sornchai Phongsa, Vietnam’s Dinh Q. Lê, and other’s from all over Asia will be showcasing works at the exhibition.
Gupta who is HIV positive and an advocate for LGBTQ rights will showcase selective pieces from his “The New Pre-Raphaelites” series. The overall collection takes Pre-Raphaelite ideals from history and intertwines the portrayal of same-sex couples in India.
The collaboration with the BACC couldn’t have arrived at a better time as Bangkok plans to legalize same-sex civil partnership. For Sun, the Thai city is his third home and the artsy partnership will add to Bangkok’s reputation of openness to the LGBTQ community.
The world will progress forward with Spectrosynthesis II, the Sunpride Foundation, and the LGBTQ Asian art market as we all look toward the exhibition’s commencement later on this the year.
Without a doubt, this will set the tone for artists everywhere to have the courage to express themselves freely. Sun told the Art Newspaper,
“It’s uplifting to see that there is a greater inclination for artists to express themselves, as well as a more enthusiastic market that is ready to embrace these works. On a whole, we are delighted to see—and it is something we aim for at Sunpride Foundation—artists who are now more willing to express themselves freely and be true to themselves and just be who they are. It makes our work worthwhile.”