{"id":17815,"title":"Still Queering Britain","description":"Queer Britain the first LGBTQ+ Museum in the UK and reflections on the 2nd Madame F Queer Britain Art Award.","content":"

\"\"Presenting the Second Prize to Oliver Freeston at Queer Britain. Photo by Rahil Ahmad - courtesy of Queer Britain.<\/em><\/p>

Last night on (May 2nd 2023) I had the absolute joy of presenting the second prize winner of the Madame F Queer Britain Award to Oliver Freeston<\/u><\/a> for his work, described below. It was an honour to be invited to be a judge and and to enlarge the community of artists that are being supported and showcased by Queer Britain<\/u><\/a>, I even said a few words:<\/p>

What Queer Britain has done, for the first time in this country is to create a chosen family of queer objects, that tell our stories, sometimes of injustice and oppression and sometimes of pride and celebration. What an important thing to do.<\/p>

<\/p>

The Queer Britain Art Award, I think does something a little bit different, the work, you will see, tells the story of our shared present and future. So here, in this special place we explore our past, our present and our future. That makes us all time travellers, isn\u2019t that magical.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>

\"lu09xs4eyjpslrmtk5k06bprtyo8iryif5nherbexqrdtz4x.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Above, last years winners and this\u2026 From left to right, Stephen Appleby-Barr, Sadie Lee, Jamie King, Beliza Buzollo, Me and Oliver Freeston. Photo by Rahil Ahmad - courtesy of Queer Britain.<\/em><\/p>

The first prize winners were Beliza Buzollo<\/u><\/a> & Jamie King<\/u><\/a> for there remarkable photograph below, as just one of the judges it was such a joy to be surprised, just like everyone else at the chosen winners, we judged blind with no names, each piece had to stand up as an autonomous work which made the stories behind the work so meaningful when they became apparent. You can find out more about the context of the prize here<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>

Stephen Appleby-Barr<\/u><\/a> won third prize for their wonderful painting with a strange and haunting presence and contributes to a growing movement of queer portraiture that is becoming increasingly apparent as our museums and galleries open their doors to new audiences and conversations that lay outside the heteronormative.<\/p>

\"yqgs5j4v0rps24yco50vd33s7mmwltxqciecsljqzkuvr7og.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Above, last years winners and this\u2026 From left to right, Sadie Lee, Jamie King, Beliza Buzollo, Me. Photo by Rahil Ahmad - courtesy of Queer Britain.<\/em><\/p>

It was a wonderful evening filled with meaningful conversation and laughter. The event solidified for me the inclusive and celebratory nature of Queer Britain, there\u2019s still work to do, as the organisers will accept. It\u2019s truly wonderful to see this amazing place, filled with love continue to evolve and grow in stature. I am now part of the history of the Madame F Queer Britain Art Award, as I said last night, we will continue to explore the future together. I can\u2019t wait to see what happens next.<\/p>

\"v0o2mbfv8oo4z9oo7ysgwhzhwqgvzbjh3ibvzfpk5vs84vkn.jpg.jpg?w=1140&z=1.5000000000000004&fx=0.5010821326103209&fy=0.3706845584595645&v=2\"It was also a joy to wear part of my \u2018gentle reference\u2019 of the Temminck\u2019s Tragopan in the actual world for the first time, read more about how I made it here.<\/u><\/a><\/p>