Introduction

 

With the close of this quarterly edition at the end of June we also wrap up Pride month, celebrating the culture, history, and lives of LGBTQ+ people and their contributions to society at large. But in an age where this celebration is dominated by the commodification of queer symbols by major corporations and ever-growing reductionist and hostile views of what it means to be part of this community, the details of LGBTQ+ history are often overshadowed or even lost. Furthermore, it is within artistic practice that this history and culture was not only defined but preserved.

Paul Moreno examines three exhibitions dealing with the lives of gay men across different generations and media. He discusses the drawings of Tom Finland, the conceptual sculptures and installations of Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and the black and white photography of Dean Sameshima. Rebecca Memoli reviews Wrightwood 659’s exhibition of photography by Patric McCoy, who documented life for gay black men on Chicago’s South Side in the 1980’s. And Dominick Lombardi takes a jaunt to Vassar College, where an exhibition of art design from the period of the AIDS crisis captures the feelings of both hopelessness and righteous anger that drove an ongoing fight for equality.

Spring and Summer were also the season of art fairs. Chicago’s annual EXPO returned to Navy Pier with ever so slight developments from the previous year and we provide three perspectives on that—one may or may not be human. And Diane Thodos tackles Miami Basel 2022 through her signature lens of criticality toward the absorption of art into the maelstrom of late-stage capitalism.

All of this is complemented by what we do best at the New Art Examiner: looking at the art that exists outside of the mainstream in places that have only recently been considered relevant to contemporary art in the United States. K.A. Letts and Marissa Jezak continue the work of critiquing what is on display in Detroit. First-time contributors Destiny Gray and Sean Roberts cover fascinating exhibitions in Atlanta, Georgia and Knoxville, Tennessee, and Neil Goodman interviews Ted Stanuga, who bucked the artistic trends of Chicago in the 70s and 80s.

As always, thank you for being a part of our community of thinkers. Stay tuned for some upcoming developments and enjoy the rest of the summer!

 

The Editors