In this vein, it is important to note that each artwork was created by a different artist with a unique relationship to the external world not everybody defines queerness or “queer art” in the same way.ījarne Melgaard, Untitled, oil on canvas, 2007 Even so, the online exhibit doesn't have the same impact due to Kramer’s curatorial approach: the physicality and placement of the works affect their readings. The University of Michigan Museum of Art is now fully open to the public, but Oh, Honey-UMMA's first self-described queer exhibit-went live virtually in fall 2020. Instead, the exhibit is framed by the words of activist, author, and professor bell hooks: “Queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.”
curatorial fellow Sean Kramer, there is no essential “queerness” harnessed and presented in a neat package.
A Queer Reading of UMMA's Collection, compiled by doctoral candidate and 2019-2020 Irving Stenn Jr. (Spoiler! This exhibit will not define it for you.) Chitra Ganesh, Sultana's Dream: The Visitation, linocut on paper, 2018Īrt is often intentionally ambiguous, asking viewers to create meaning and metaphorically fill in the blanks with their interpretations.
