madder and madder and hotter and hotter
Group Exhibition Co-Presented by Lite Brite Neon and New York Live Arts
Ford Foundation Gallery, 219 W 19th St, New York, NY
June 12th–September 5th
Neon carries a lineage of queer signification. Since the 1960s, queer artists have turned to neon to reappropriate the medium's commercial qualities, asking viewers to slow down and breathe in its poetics. Language cast in neon invariably hails.
Co-organized by Queer|Art, New York Live Arts, and Lite Brite Neon, madder and madder and hotter and hotter brings together artworks that cite, transmit, remix, and illuminate queer, trans, and feminist lineages for an urgent now. The exhibition's title comes from Audre Lorde's daughter, who insisted on speech, knowing that censored or repressed language grows madder and hotter inside one's body; the language on walls, here, glows. Offering balms, songs, chants, and signs, the works in this show mix the concrete qualities of words and sculpture with the ineffability of light.
Artists in this exhibition include QA Mentors Jeffrey Gibson, Lola Flash, Demian DinéYazhi', and Nelson Santos, alongside Marie Watt, E.J. Hill, Ja’Tovia Gary, and Glenn Ligon. Anchoring the show are three QA Artist Editions, commissioned annually to celebrate the work of contemporary artists in QA's community while paying homage to the queer trailblazers who came before them—all co-created with Lite Brite Neon, the queer and trans-led neon fabrication studio responsible for collaboratively producing the works on view. Surrounded by ephemera from Lite Brite Neon's studio, the luminous pieces cite historical icons from Marsha P. Johnson to the collective ACT UP, as well as pop cultural references and ancestral wisdom. Together, they interpellate queer subjects in a bright, warm shout.
madder and madder and hotter and hotter opens Thursday, June 12th, with a public reception from 5:30–7 PM at the Ford Foundation Live Gallery, located in the Live Arts Lobby at 219 W 19th St. The show is on view through September 5th.
madder and madder and hotter and hotter is presented as part of the 2025 edition of Queer|Art|Pride, an annual summer festival celebrating the brilliant artistry and resilience of NYC’s queer and trans communities during Pride Month. Learn more here.
Photos by Maria Baranova, courtesy New York Live Arts.
WORKS ON VIEW
Select pieces from the exhibition are available for purchase! To inquire about purchases/acquisitions, contact L Marmon (lmarmon@queer-art.org.) All proceeds benefit Queer|Art and Lite Brite Neon Studio, providing direct support to queer and trans artists across the country.
ABOUT LITE BRITE NEON
Lite Brite Neon Studio is a queer trans-led 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; 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 Art Foundation, MoMA, and the Whitney Museum of Art.