Unnamed and Unknown, LGBTQA+ art

Representation

Who is the first painter that pops into your mind? What about a movie director?

Chances are that unless you thought of Leonardo da Vinci for the first one and you chose a "white, straight, male" for both questions. And even if you did think of Leonardo, you probably didn't think or even know that he was not straight.

Chances are that in school you learned about certain artists that "never married and lived with a companion for the rest of their lives". Why is sexuality still taboo especially when it comes to learning and culture?

As psychologists, we know that representation can help with stigma reduction including those from an ethnic minority who might be even less represented yet endure even more discrimination (Fields et al., 2022).

In Britain, Section 28 prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality", and while it may seem like a distant piece of legislation, this is still the case for many countries in the world, Europe included.

Identification

What's the first thought that pops into your mind when you think of gay art? Is it something sexualised, perhaps homoerotic?

Depending on your geographical location and previous use of Google, chances are that if you search gay art something among those lines will appear.

Sex sells, but there is more to it than that when it comes to the artistry and craftsmanship of LGBTQA+ artists.

Social psychology produced an abundance of evidence of the crucial impact of our beliefs and stereotypes.

LGBTQA+ people are not only prone to, but also vulnerable to, negative beliefs (Hicks, 2020).

Public attitudes can have enduring consequences, promote homophobia, hate speech, and affect anti-discrimination law.

Belonging

Where do you feel comfortable?

Art has the power to impact us at an individual level, yet it also has a collective power – it can help build communities and bring together people with shared passions and interests. Consequently this can build a sense of belonging.

Our mental health is affected by such mental states of feeling connected (Hagerty, 1990) and so is our social and psychological functioning (Hagerty et al., 1996).

Therefore the availability of such communities has the capacity to promote not only a safe and creative space but also foster wellbeing. 

To quote George Orwell "All art is propaganda" and the importance lies in distinguishing "good" from "bad" propaganda.

Coming from an ex-communist country, Romania, where being a psychologist or gay used to be illegal, I cannot recall one instance where, as a child, I was introduced to anything remotely gay, let alone gay art.

Art is political and can shape and define cultures and subsequently, individuals. This winter, I've seen the first queer art exhibition in my country.

Organised by MozaiQ under the Triumf Amiria / Museum of Queer Culture initiative, the exhibition: YOU FEEL – AND DRIFT – AND SING brought together, artists, art lovers and created a space, not only for art but for the people.

The exhibition, taking place in three different locations brought together different art mediums and it had the positive impact discussed above.

Politics or funds can act as a barrier to promoting and celebrating the work of those coming from a minority, yet we must continue to find ways and means to offer a platform for such artists. 

You can discover more from the exhibition and get involved on Instagram and for both historical and artistic accounts on what it means to be gay during communism you can follow the account Homocommunist.