Throwing Digital Bricks: Queer Acts of Protest

[A BRICK AS A CATALYST]

In 1969, a single brick in a New York street became a symbol, shattering the silence suffocating the Queer community. The Stonewall Uprising marked a pivotal moment for bringing forth the needs of LGBTTTIQ+ individuals worldwide, igniting a global discussion on LGBTQ rights and liberation. It catalyzed a broader movement for equality, fostering a collective awareness that the fight for justice and acceptance transcends borders and unites us all in our pursuit of a more inclusive and compassionate world.

[A BRICK AS AN ECHO]

54 years have passed since this first brick was thrown and our resistance continues, everywhere. While there have been many gains, there is still a long way to go. Queer artists have mobilized their creativity to transmute towards a reality where we can all authentically express who we are. The artists in this exhibition, remind us that queerness is expansive in its multiplicity. There is strength in the rich diversity of our expressions, each, like a building brick of our history. These works are statements, memories, and visions of present-futures where queerness continues to be defiant in its existence.

[A BRICK AS A STRATEGY]

The works presented raise questions such as: What does queer art look like? How does queerness manifest? And, how can digital art draw on the legacy of public protest? They are all brought together by a shared sentiment—an unyielding urge for protest, an unwavering spirit of dissidence, and a ceaseless pursuit of queer world-building.
This exhibition presents one strategy of continuing the inertia began by the first brick. A public ritual demonstrating one of the myriad of ways we rise up, resist, and resonate. As you journey through these “digital bricks” consider each piece as a digital catalyst, pixelated potential reverberating echoes of a brick thrown half a century ago. Think of these works as a fierce declaration, a celebration, and a testament to the resiliency and multiplicity of queer art and activism.

[THESE ARE OUR DIGITAL BRICKS]

This exhibition results from an open call for queer artists online to share their work during Pride Month 2023. As a digital artist and queer activist, I asked myself how I could utilize the tools at my access to build a bridge between the virtual and the physical planes. Guerrilla projecting these works in public spaces channels the potentiality of that moment when the first brick was thrown. A visual detonation in the public sphere, ensuring that the spirit of that act of defiance, that bold declaration of existence and resistance, remains alive.