Boogaloo Stu and Ladypat are to bring Queer Hearts, a year-long cultural exchange between Isle of Wight and Brighton, to Brighton’s Jubilee Library in January 2023.
Boogaloo Stu and Ladypat share a love of psychedelic and surreal pop art, informed by their maverick queer sensibility. In Queer Hearts, they share their eye-popping artworks and rally their local communities to celebrate queer heroes.
Queer Hearts began with a six-week exhibition run and art workshops at Ventnor Exchange (cultural hub and home of the celebrated Ventnor Fringe) on the Isle of Wight, which continues there until Sunday, December 18. The project then moves to Brighton’s Jubilee Library in early 2023.
Partnering with local charity organisations (youth opportunity charity Brave Island on the Isle of Wight and LGBTQ+ mental health charity MindOut in Brighton), the Queer Hearts Awards workshops will offer a drop-in opportunity for charity service users and others, to create a collage artwork with a message dedicated to a queer person who made a positive impact on their lives. These artworks will be on display, and then digitally archived afterwards.
To close the project, in May 2023, a group of queer islanders will have the opportunity to visit Brighton Fringe, to educate, inspire and forge friendships among queer people and further open up a cultural dialogue between the two locations.
Key dates
Monday, January 16, 2023 to Sunday, February 5, 2023 – Queer Hearts Exhibition at Jubilee Library, Brighton – free entry
Tuesday, January 17, 2023 to Wednesday, January 18, 2023 – Queer Hearts Awards workshops at Jubilee Library, Brighton
May 2023 (exact date TBA) – exchange trip from Isle of Wight to Brighton Fringe
Queer Hearts is supported by Arts Council England, Ventnor Exchange, Brave Island, MindOut, Jubilee Library, Marlborough Productions and Brighton Fringe.
Visit queerhearts.uk and follow @queerheartsawards on Instagram for the latest updates
Photo credit: Ben Francis