The QUEER|ART ARTIST EDITION is an annual neon sculpture commission, celebrating the work of contemporary artists in our community while paying homage to the queer trailblazers who came before them.
Each year, Queer|Art commissions an artist in our growing community to create a neon sculpture that honors a queer icon of their choosing. To produce the work, the selected artist collaborates closely with Lite Brite Neon Studio, a New York-based fabrication studio specializing in artist collaborations, commercial installations, and custom lighting designs. Now in its second year, proceeds from the edition provide direct support to Queer|Art artists and our extended community.
Queer artists have long mobilized the evocative qualities of neon to shed light on overlooked narratives and expand their practice in innovative ways. 2019 QA Prize Finalist Ja’Tovia Gary, 2023 Illuminations Grant Judge Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo), 2011-2012 QAM Mentor Deb Kass, and 2023 Robert Giard Grant Judge Benjy Russell are just a few of the creatives pushing the medium’s boundaries. The Queer|Art Artist Edition seeks to continue this legacy of queer light-sculpting, all while raising funds for a positive cause.
2023 COMMISSION
The 2023 Queer|Art Artist Edition was granted to Lola Flash—visionary photographer, artist, 2021 QA Prize Winner, and QAM Mentor & Trustee. Inspired by their history with ACT UP and AIDS activism with Gran Fury, Flash highlights the text, “Your Silence Will Not Protect You,” originated by writer, educator, and feminist Audre Lorde in 1977. This neon edition radiates connection between Lorde’s work and ACT UP’s seminal statement, “Silence=Death” and creates a clear throughline of queer liberation and activism from then to now—and onward into the future. Flash has created only 10 (ten) editions of this work, and only 5 (five) are left for purchase!
ABOUT LITE BRITE NEON STUDIO
Lite Brite Neon Studio is a collective of craftspeople that specializes in the production of neon art, display, luminous visual props and architectural lighting through a collaborative approach. They seek to transform and transmit the power of light art and display as a viable medium to convey the mystical truths that surround us in everyday life. Their work has graced the facade of the Venice Biennale; appeared on the cover of the New York Times, Artforum, and Print Magazine; in the windows of MoMa, Tiffany & Co., and Bergdorf Goodman's; and can be found in museums, galleries, and other visual displays worldwide. They also serve as a resource for the preservation and restoration of historic neon art and displays for many private and public collections including the Dia Center for the Arts, MoMa, and the Whitney Museum of Art.
ARCHIVE
2023
Lola Flash
2022
Nelson Santos