5th June – 31st July, Ballina Arts Centre
Curated by Sinead Keogh, I Am What I Am is a nuanced celebration of queer artists who work with gender, sexuality, identity and queer politics.
This adventurous exhibition, presented in partnership with Mayo County Council Arts Service, in Ballina Arts Centre will bring together artists from all backgrounds to unite in a diverse exploration of queer art in Ireland today.The title hails from the song finale in the 1983 Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles written and composed by queer writer Jerry Herman. The song was covered by Gloria Gaynor that same year and has been an empowerment anthem for the LGBTQ+ community ever since. ‘I Am What I Am’ is a stronghold in the form of resistance against adversity in an ever evolving and dissolving world.
The exhibition runs from 5th June to 31st July. Due to current restrictions a formal launch of the exhibition will not take place on 5th June. This project is an initiative of Mayo County Council in partnership with the Arts Council of Ireland with support from the Creative Ireland Programme.
The following programme of events will take place in Ballina Arts Centre in June.
Saturday 19th June, 12-1pm: Curator Seán Kissane online lecture on Queer Histories and 20th Century LGBTQ+ art
Saturday 26th June, 12-2pm: Sara R Phillips online talk Irish Trans Archive – The History of the Trans Community in Ireland 2016 to today
Booking for all events at www.ballinaartscentre.com
Further events will take place throughout the month of July and are dependent on Covid 19 Government restrictions.