VSSL Studio is excited to announce the launch of FACET, a programme dedicated to the exploration and celebration of contemporary queer art and culture. Via five exhibitions taking place over nine months, FACET initiates a platform for invited artists to centre their individual perspectives while fostering a greater understanding of expanded queer experiences.
FACET acknowledges the potential of both art and queerness to shift societal norms, spark dialogue and imagine new worlds. Launching with a joint exhibition by Alicia Radage and Benjamin Sebastian, two London based artists whose collaboration sets the tone for the entire programme, the inaugural FACET exhibition runs June 1 – June 18 (Thurs-Sun), with an opening event on Friday June 2 (6-9pm), in line with London Gallery Weekend 2023. Alicia Radage and Benjamin Sebastian’s exhibition invites viewers to explore the edges of queer identities through a mix of sculpture, including wearable exhibits made from glass, chrome and chain, installation, paper-sewn tapestry, performance (to camera) and new media. Diffusing margins between known and unknown worlds of the self and otherness, they encourage a reimagining of numerous identity structures including gender, sexuality and humanity. This exhibition captures the definitive essence of FACET and will have performative interventions by both artists at the launch event. Other events include In Conversation with Alicia Radage & Benjamin Sebastian chaired by Serpentine Galleries Curator Tamsin Hong Saturday, June 17, 6-8pm.
As well as lead artist and curator, Benjamin Sebastian is a co-founder and co-director of VSSL Studio which is housed in Deptford’s Enclave, an artist-run infrastructure and community of galleries and creative organisations.
Between August 2023 and January 2024, four other exhibitions will be held at VSSL featuring artists June Lam, Rocío Boliver, and Marcin Gawin, as well as a group exhibition curated by Benjamin Sebastian this October.
June Lam’s exhibition runs from August 10-27 with an opening event on Friday August 11. Lam’s incorporation of collage within his work for the FACET programme meticulously upholds the tradition of collage as a medium and powerful tool for challenging dominant cultural narratives, creating alternative visions of new possibilities.
October’s group exhibition explores mediums such as performance, sculpture, video, photography, and installation. Artists showcase the interconnectedness of the queer artistic landscape. This runs from October 5-22 with an event date to be confirmed.
In November renowned Mexican artist Rocío Boliver presents a powerful photographic series defying society’s beauty standards and empowering ageing women to embrace their sexuality unapologetically. Running from November 9 until 26, VSSL will host a special event on Friday November 10. In January 2024, the FACET programme culminates with a not-to-be-missed exhibition in January from emerging artist Marcin Gawin – exploring the potential for transformation in the human body, investigating its practical and speculative functions.
For more information on the FACET programme and its participating artists, please visit https://vssl-studio.org/FACET and follow @vsslstudio on instagram for updates on curatorial interventions and additional programming for each exhibition.
