LGBTQ+ art throughout history at "The First Homosexuals" exhibit
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A photo of the beginning of the exhibit at Wrightwood 659. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
"The First Homosexuals" at Wrightwood 659 in Lincoln Park explores how artists have interpreted non-heteronormative life throughout human history.
Why it matters: As we live in a growing cultural war over LGBTQ+ art and literature, this exhibition sheds light on how long it has been a part of the public discourse, dating back centuries.
What they're saying: "In 1869 a Hungarinan writer comes up with the word homosexual," co-curator and art historian Jonathan David Katz tells Axios. "Up until that point, you could be same-sex and nobody thought anything of it. That was considered normal sexuality."
- "So as language restricted the possibilities of sexuality, art picked up the slack."
The intrigue: Seeing how Western and Eastern cultures depicted queer culture differently on the canvas.
- "We can really plot how the term homosexual follows colonial conquest," Katz says.
- "The colonizers carried the term and wrote new legislation that prohibited it. There are still countries today with vile homophobic laws that before colonization were open to same-sex relationships."
Context: Katz's curation also touches on the idea of rewriting or revisiting history, an issue currently playing out in contemporary art circles.
- Over the summer, the Art Institute put Felix Gonzalez-Torres' "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) back on permanent display.
- The famous exhibit encourages viewers to take a piece of individually wrapped hard candy from a 175-pound pile on the floor. It represents the weight of Gonzalez-Torres' lover, Ross Laycock, who died of complications of AIDS in 1991.
Yes, but: When the Art Institute put the artwork back, there was no reference to AIDS nor to Laycock in the edited artist statement.
- After heated criticism, the Art Institute restored some of the language and explained that the statement was edited in cooperation with the artist's estate, run by a prominent art dealer.
What they're saying: "It's pretty ugly. What we're seeing is an aggressive push by dealers to tell museums what to say," says Katz.
- "In many museums now, there is a push to eliminate explanatory wall labels. But the point of contemporary art is quite complicated."
What's next: The First Homosexuals exhibition at Wrightwood 659 runs through Jan. 28.
- The gallery will be closed Dec. 23-31 and will reopen Jan. 6.
- Tickets: $15, advance purchase required.