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.
The interview matters because it highlights how contemporary queer artists are reclaiming and reinterpreting Catholic visual traditions to affirm queer bodies and sexualities as sacred. De Jesús’s work bridges personal history, colonial critique, and community-based exhibition practices, offering a nuanced perspective on identity, faith, and artistic heritage in Philadelphia’s local art scene.