Art News. Vasari Codex

article local schedule Aug 6, 2025 visibility 9 link 3 artists

Visualizing a “god of queer liberation:” An interview with queer artist Daniel de Jesús about their new Philadelphia exhibition

Philadelphia-based queer artist Daniel de Jesús, also a cellist and composer, is featured in a group exhibition at the William Way LGBT Community Center that opened July 10, 2025. In an interview with Emma Cieslik, de Jesús discusses their paintings blending Catholic iconography, mysticism, and queer identity, drawing on symbols like Saint Sebastian and the unicorn. They describe how a Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition on colonial Latin American art inspired their exploration of religious syncretism and the reclamation of Catholic imagery by queer and trans people.

newspaper Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jan 15, 2026 visibility 6 link 1 artist

Art exhibit marks full circle moment for LGBTQ+ activist

Arleen Olshan, a Mt. Airy–based artist and activist, opens her latest exhibition “Arleen Olshan: The Tangle I’ve Gotten Into” on Jan. 16 at iMPeRFeCT Gallery in Germantown, running through Feb. 21. The show combines two series: “Dead Dykes & Some Gay Men,” a memorial portrait series honoring LGBTQ+ activists and loved she has lost—including a long-delayed painting of her friend Gil Forman and his partner Zach—and “Women Loving Women,” large-scale figurative works from the 1970s and 1980s celebrating lesbian feminist intimacy and liberation. The exhibition also includes an archival element of memorial cards and newspaper clippings Olshan saved over decades.

newspaper The Chestnut Hill Local open_in_new Read original

article local schedule Jul 22, 2025 visibility 8 link 4 artists

William Way Opens 19th Annual Group Art Exhibition featuring local LGBTQ+ artists

The William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia has opened its 19th Annual Group Art Exhibition, featuring three local LGBTQ+ artists: Daniel de Jesús, Kenzi Crash, and James Rose. The artists were selected from participants in the center's January Juried Art Exhibition, with local artist Gabriel Martinez serving as the designated judge. Art Exhibitions Manager Jake Foster curated the show, which presents each artist's individual work without a unifying theme. De Jesús blends mysticism, Catholic iconography, and queer identity; Crash presents a photography installation exploring queer intimacy; and Rose debuts a new series of self-portraits examining identity and emotion. The exhibition runs through August 28 and is also viewable online, with 65% of sales going to the artists.

newspaper Philadelphia Gay News open_in_new Read original