This is Queer history doing what it does best: taking what was used against us and turning it into a crown.
Paul Gravett merges a mid-century physique photograph with delicate embroidery—soft labor stitched into hard nostalgia—so the image becomes more than an object. It becomes an argument. A reclamation. A little altar.
Look closely: a lemon slice rests behind the model’s head. It’s a sly, devastating emblem. “Fruit,” once a slur, is rerouted into something else entirely—because that circle also reads as a halo. Insult and reverence held in the same frame. That’s not decoration. That’s survival with style.
The pose carries its own charge: a body offered and defended at once, recalling St. Sebastian in Renaissance painting—sensuality braided with vulnerability, suffering, and sanctity. The piece doesn’t sanitize Queer desire; it dignifies it. It says: we have always been here, and our beauty was never a crime—only somebody else’s fear.
For the record (because archives matter): the model is John Miller. The original photograph was taken by Bob Mizer and appeared in Athletic Model Guild magazine in the 1940s. Queer history isn’t abstract. It has names. It has sources. It has receipts.
And this is exactly why it belongs in THE LISTENING ROOM: Queer Art + Mixtapes.
THE LISTENING ROOM pairs image and sound as a way to access memory through the senses. The artwork holds the scene.
The music unlocks what’s hiding underneath: heat, history, private language.
Every pairing is on purpose: the artist gives the work a song, and the song gives you a way in—how we spot our people, how we turn strangers into a safe space.
OPENING NIGHT
Friday, Feb 13 | 5–8 PM
Show closes Feb 27th.
TBQA — The Bureau of Queer Art
Calle Roma 15, Colonia Juárez (corner of Londres/Roma)
CDMX
Come for the opening. Stay for the signal.
IMMORTAL Queer Art Fair Born in Mexico City during Día de Muertos, IMMORTAL isn’t just an art fair—it’s a living altar. It gathers over eighty queer and allied artists from across borders to honor what refuses to disappear: creativity, community, and defiance. From intimate ofrendas to large-scale installations, IMMORTAL transforms the city into a site of remembrance and rebellion.
Produced by The Bureau of Queer Art (TBQA), the fair merges exhibition, ritual, and celebration—linking Mexico, the U.S., and beyond through shared acts of art-making and visibility. IMMORTAL is where the queer spirit meets the eternal.
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VOL 10
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Juror:
Michael Swank
Director of Art Gallery Studios
Producer of Bureau of Queer Art
Exhibiting Artists:
Tom Acevedo, Hera Anderson, Alexander Arshansky, Brandin Barón, Sherry Been, Chad Berwald, Kathy Bolinger, Ryan Brandimore, Beth Bynum, Alejandro Herrera Cabeza, Miguel Camacho-Padilla, Trevor Castor, Lance Chang, Rory Chrz, Joan Cox, Roy de Vries, Yvette Deas, Thomas Diethert, Timothy Doane, Stevan Dupus, Dmitry Gushchin, Colette Hebert, Deborah Hirshfeld, Stephen Honicki, Andres Juarez-Troncoso, John Keasler, Crisinda Lyons, Michael McFadden, Hunter O’Hanian, Samuel Perry, Devon Reiffer, RD Riccoboni, Riley Rist, Jesse Satterfield, Ramona Szczerba, Ze Treasure Troll, Robin Venter, Danny Warhole, Tim Weedlun, Danielle Wogulis, Kas Woods, Kelsey Worth, Alonso Yañez and Paul F. Yount.
Best in Show
Artist in Residency Art Gallery Studios
Duo Totem (Detail) by Joan Cox (Baltimore, MD)
Featured Artist
Featured Artist: Colete Hebert
THE STUDIO DOOR
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday Noon - 7 PM or by appointment
This exhibition became a San Diego tradition, bringing artists nationwide to celebrate during San Diego Pride Month in July. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and other related community artists (LGBTQIA+) are encouraged to present contemporary works that celebrate the unique sense of pride that this diverse community has. Happy Pride, San Diego!
RECEPTION: SATURDAY, JULY 13, 6 - 9 PM
Free to the Public!
The artwork is for sale. Support LGBTQIA+ Artists.
This year, it was seen on FOX 5, CBS 8, San Diego Pride Guide, Rage Monthly, LGBTQ San Diego News, Uptown News, and San Diego Union-Tribune.
Best in Show
Artist in Residency Art Gallery Studios
Duo Totem (Detail) by Joan Cox (Baltimore, MD)
Featured Artist
Artist in Residency Art Gallery Studios
Alonso Yañez, Mexico City, Mexico
Best in Show
Lovers Under Torrey Pines (PG Version - Detail) by Thomas Diethert (San Diego, CA)
Featured Artist
Artist in Residency Art Gallery Studios
Alejandro Herrera, Monterrey, Mexico
February 10 to March 12, 2022








