Jonathan Carver Moore is honoring Pride month with the debut of a powerful new art exhibition comprised solely of works by Black queer artist.
Titled To Be Seen, the exhibition opened on June 5 and will run through August 16 at Moore’s history-making namesake gallery in San Francisco, California.
The group exhibition brings together a collective of Black queer artists, with their pieces exploring Black queer identity, belonging, and visibility.
Do you want more?
Subscribe to Native Son’s newsletter for more news, information, and conversations about Black gay and queer everything.
“To Be Seen is a group exhibition about assimilation. Can a person be Black and queer at the same time? Or must we always conceal one part of who we are at all times? Often we as Black queer people have questioned ourselves–are we ‘Black’ enough to be in Black spaces, but also queer enough to be a part of the LGBTQ community?” reads a statement on the exhibition. “In questioning this notion, we have found ourselves caught between two worlds in the hopes to blend in and not be seen. The cost of this comes at a price of course; a price where we don’t fully get to live our authentic lives.”
“’Try not to be seen’ is advice we may have heard from relatives, friends, colleagues or mentors in their hope to keep us safe from judgement or perhaps violence, but ultimately it has had a bigger emotional and psychological negative impact on who we are as Black queer people,” the statement continues. “This multigenerational group exhibition is meant for us to boldly claim who we are by being seen, maintaining our presence and being outwardly visible.”
Included in the show are celebrated artists Eric Hart Jr. Khari Johnson, April Bey, Lulu Mhlana, Ramekin O’Arwisters, and Mayowa Nwadike — with their pieces ranging from paintings, to photography, and mixed media works.
The opening reception for the exhibition was held on June 6.
The trailblazing Moore became the first Black gay male gallerist in San Francisco when he opened his gallery in 2023. And with his latest exhibition, he is continuing his mission to uplift and celebrate the work of Black and brown queer artists and their continued impact across all facets of the art industry.
Subscribe to Native Son‘s newsletter for more news, information, and conversations about Black gay and queer everything.
