The Long Beach City College Art Gallery will be one of seven locations in southern California hosting the fifth SUR:biennial, a month long gallery featuring the work of artists whose inspiration comes from Los Angeles and its southern borders.
The biannual gallery, running from Sept. 12 to Oct. 12, was co-curated by the LBCC Art Gallery Director Trevor Norris and Long Beach Arts Commissioner Lisa DeSmidt.
“The event happens every two years. This year I decided to do a group of LGBTQI artists. I wanted to find local artists, so I looked into Long Beach Arts and they have a lot of younger people and women,” Norris said.
Featured artist Victoria Maldonado, uses her art to convey the journey of finding one’s identity.
“A queer person’s identity, is it based on sexuality? Is it based on gender? Is it based on the political spectrum? For me, I’m still experimenting on how to talk about how it’s all of those things … Kind of reclaiming the word queer,” Maldonado said.
“It used to be such a negative connotation and now they are… defining it not just as sexual orientation, it also encompasses so many intersections.”
Narsiso Martinez, another featured artist, will be displaying portraits with the theme of transgender migrant farmworkers.
“I can only imagine what kind of challenges they are facing. It can be difficult enough to be gay, but to be transgender on a farm. It’s got to be a tough life,” Norris said when describing Martinez’s work.
Along with viewing portraits and sculptures, gallery goers can tap into their sense of sound when featured artist Estafania Gallo-Gonzalez, whose degree is in gender studies, DJ’s for the reception on Sept. 19.
Gallo-Gonzalez curated an exclusive playlist to be played for the entirety of the exhibit.
“She’ll also be singing Latin jazz right outside in the courtyard,” Norris said.
Frank Tapia, a student at LBCC, is excited to attend the gallery because he’ll get to see himself represented within the artist’s work.
“Not only am I Latino but I am also apart of the LGBTQ community and that’s what the whole gallery is about and inspired by. It’s just really cool to see the celebration of two minority groups, especially in today’s climate,” Tapia said.
The gallery titled “Generational: Local Latinx LGBTQI Artists” will take place in room K-100 beginning on Sept. 12 and will run until Oct 12.