Queer|Art is pleased to announce the 2019-2020 Queer|Art|Mentorship Annual Exhibition: “ARCANUM,” open from October 29, 2020 through January 7, 2021. The exhibition features new and ongoing work by the graduating Fellows of the organization’s celebrated Queer|Art|Mentorship (QAM) program and comprises interactive multimedia installations and events focused on revitalizing the intergenerational and interdisciplinary art of storytelling. Combining both virtual components and outdoor activations throughout New York City, the sprawling exhibition includes a cyber gallery with game-like installations, outdoor performances, artist talks, live-streamed readings, and screenings. “ARCANUM” is curated by Anthonywash.Rosado, and includes work by: Brian Gonzalez, Patrick G. Lee, María José Maldonado, Felli Maynard, Olaiya Olayemi, Sarah Sanders, and Sarah Zapata.

The term “arcanum” has two meanings: 1) specialized knowledge shared with those willing, and 2) an intoxicating elixir or liquid capable of transforming base metals into gold. In naming the Queer|Art|Mentorship Annual Exhibition “ARCANUM,” the Fellows invite viewers to engage with diverse forms of storytelling, accessing both contemporary narratives and lineages of queer ancestral knowledge. Among the constellations of creative disciplines assembled within “ARCANUM,” viewers will discover a rich tapestry of TLGBQ+ and BIPoC storytelling technologies, and critical methods for understanding one’s own origins. By encouraging visitors to determine their own experience, “ARCANUM” aims to initiate a symbiotic relationship between art and viewer.

Website: ARCANUM videogame/visual art exhibition: https://www.queer-art.org/arcanum

Rights statement: All rights reserved under U.S. Copyright Law.