Detroit to Host World’s First Queer International Art Biennial

The world’s first queer international art biennial is set to open in Detroit on May 31. Titled “I’ll Be Your Mirror: Reflections of the Contemporary Queer,” the event is sponsored by nonprofitMighty Real/Queer Detroit(MRQD) and will run through June 30, concurrent with Pride Month. Some 170 local, US, and international artists will present more than eight hundred works across eleven venues. Among the artists whose work will be on view are photographer Alvin Baltrop; photographer Eve Fowler; surrealist painter Hilary Harkness; interdisciplinary artist Lyle Ashton Harris; painter Clarity Haynes, known for her unconventional depictions of torsos; artist, poet, and critic Wayne Koestenbaum; and painter and photographer Peter McGough. Work by historical figures such as photographers Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden and George Platt Lynes will be on view as well. Local artists include muralist LeRoy Foster and figurative artist Tylonn Sawyer.

The event represents an expansion of MRQD’s inaugural biennial, held during Pride Month 2022 but restricted to local artists. Atypical of most biennials, most works at this one will be for sale. “I’ll Be Your Mirror” is curated by artist and high school teacher Patrick Burton and supported by Detroit’s municipal Office of Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship. Participating venues include Anton Art Center, Galerie Camille, the Detroit Artists Market, and Elaine Jacob Gallery. The biennial boasts a robust performance program, featuring Christeene, Stephanie Crawford, Linda Simpson, Pamela Sneed, and Cherry Wood; the Detroit Institute of Arts’ theater will host a film screenings series curated by Adam Baran.

Speaking with the Art Newspaper and Artnet News, Burton cited the increasing number of state and local laws targeting LGBTQIA+ individuals and youths as behind the biennial’s expansion from a local to an international event. “We hope to serve as a beacon to young queer kids and foster a sense of belonging and empowerment,” he told the Art Newspaper. “We can do more than a parade during Pride Month.”