Latest news with #queerart
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
The persistence of Pride: LGBTQ+ events in Tokyo and beyond
The centerpiece parade and festival of Tokyo Rainbow Pride may be over, but there's still ample opportunity to celebrate diversity and show your solidarity with the queer community. The following programs and events showcase the creativity and resilience of queer people and platforms in a range of creative and professional domains. Queer Art Exhibition (until June 18): Stop by Harajuku for a group show at Baby the Coffee Brew Club, featuring 30 queer artists from around the world working in mediums from wood engraving and photography to illustration. Admission is free. Some of the artwork is for sale and there will be a tip box for contributions to the artists. You can also vote for your favorite artist in the show, with the winner receiving the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Award of ¥100,000. Instagram: @ (until June 18): Stop by Harajuku for a group show at Baby the Coffee Brew Club, featuring 30 queer artists from around the world working in mediums from wood engraving and photography to illustration. Admission is free. Some of the artwork is for sale and there will be a tip box for contributions to the artists. You can also vote for your favorite artist in the show, with the winner receiving the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Award of ¥100,000. Instagram: @ Events at Loneliness Books (June 20-22, 27-29): The queer bookstore in Higashinakano will host a number of programs on the final two weekends of June, including a book launch for Naoki Ota's essay collection 'Gray and Life,' a cinema club discussion and a release party for the latest issue of magazine Kaguya Planet. Instagram: @lonelinessbooks (June 20-22, 27-29): The queer bookstore in Higashinakano will host a number of programs on the final two weekends of June, including a book launch for Naoki Ota's essay collection 'Gray and Life,' a cinema club discussion and a release party for the latest issue of magazine Kaguya Planet. Instagram: @lonelinessbooks Rainbow Reel Tokyo (June 21-22; July 12-13): The 32nd Tokyo International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will be held at two different venues in Shibuya, EuroLive and Tokyo Women's Plaza Hall. Five feature films and five shorts will be screened, representing productions from Belgium, France, India, the U.K. and the U.S., many of which are premiering in Japan for the first time. Instagram: @rainbowreeltokyo (June 21-22; July 12-13): The 32nd Tokyo International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will be held at two different venues in Shibuya, EuroLive and Tokyo Women's Plaza Hall. Five feature films and five shorts will be screened, representing productions from Belgium, France, India, the U.K. and the U.S., many of which are premiering in Japan for the first time. Instagram: @rainbowreeltokyo Human Rights Conference (June 22): At Shiseido Hanatsubaki Hall in Ginza, LGTBQ+ activists, academics and professionals will convene to discuss contemporary social issues connected to this year's Tokyo Rainbow Pride theme of 'Same Life, Same Rights.' Three panels and a keynote speech will cover topics such as marriage equality, media misinformation and combating discrimination. Admission is free, but registration is required. (June 22): At Shiseido Hanatsubaki Hall in Ginza, LGTBQ+ activists, academics and professionals will convene to discuss contemporary social issues connected to this year's Tokyo Rainbow Pride theme of 'Same Life, Same Rights.' Three panels and a keynote speech will cover topics such as marriage equality, media misinformation and combating discrimination. Admission is free, but registration is required. Aomori Rainbow Parade (June 28): The coastal city of Hachinohe will host a parade on the final Saturday of the month, beginning from the plaza in front of city hall. X: @RainbowAomori (June 28): The coastal city of Hachinohe will host a parade on the final Saturday of the month, beginning from the plaza in front of city hall. X: @RainbowAomori Seisho Queer Pride (June 29): Manazuru, Kanagawa Prefecture, will celebrate Pride with a parade and party. Original merchandise will be on sale to support the local community. The parade departs from Manazuru Station at 11 a.m. Instagram: @seisho_queer_pride Looking past the summer and beyond the capital, a slew of regional Pride events — some launching for the very first time — are scheduled throughout the fall. Most of these programs have only the dates and venues locked in, and other details are yet to be announced. Make sure to check their websites for the latest information about how to attend or get involved.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Mount Gambier's queer art trail celebrates regional creators during Pride Month
Chelsea Dynan has only been in Mount Gambier a short time, but reconnecting with art has helped her find her place in her new home. To start Pride Month, a queer art trail has been established to promote LGBTQIA+ visibility in common community spaces. Dynan has entered art competitions and exhibitions before, including winning the Packer Prize at the Penola Art Show. But putting her work in the first local queer art trail as a bisexual woman has been one of her most vulnerable experiences. "When I was back home, I didn't feel safe to be myself. "Having this opportunity and showcasing that we can put ourselves out there and be seen and heard and feel safe in doing so, that's been the biggest impact for me." Dynan's art captured a group she felt a strong connection with — medical students who had just moved from home to Mount Gambier to study. "I wanted to celebrate other people as well as being able to showcase myself in some form of anonymity, so that it's not me in the image," she said. "I get to celebrate women and other people who are living in this township." The queer art trail includes work from LGBTQIA+ artists throughout the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. The exhibition is on display in public places throughout SA's second-largest city, including the Riddoch Art Gallery, shopping centres and cafes. Artworks are on display from people aged nine to 50. Kit Cooper helped organise the event and also entered their own pyrography work, something they started after being diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). "These particular pieces were created from a point of calm and zen, just a chance to centre myself amidst the chaos. "I have four children and obviously a lot of organisation going on, so my art is my safe space for myself." Cooper said having the exhibition in busy places in Mount Gambier was important. "I'm incredibly proud of what has been pulled together," they said. "The artists have come together, the community is taking notice and appreciating queer artists. "It's been wonderful seeing it be so successful, more successful than I admit I even estimated that it might." Patrick Smith has been a long-term advocate for queer representation in Mount Gambier and is working on a set of artworks for a full solo exhibition in his home town. He said visibility for the local LGBTQIA+ community was important to create lasting change. "The incidental appearance of queer iconography, queer motifs, and themes is also to show that you are going to bump into a queer person regardless of the space you're going to be in," he said. Smith said his art focused on subverting the normalised way of looking at the human body. "You can then get a very homogeneous and very staid look on the world," he said. "But to be able to bring in different ways, different angles, to interpret and understand the world around us, it will only make it better and richer."
