Skittles are once again showing their support for the LGBTQ+ community by partnering up with GAY TIMES, Queer Britain and Getty Images to bring you Queer Joy – an exhibition showcasing striking queer portraits.
The free open-air showcase will take place at The Outside Art Project on the outdoor benches on Granary Square, Pancras Square and Battlebridge Place, running from June 1 to August 31. The Outside Art Project has seen King’s Cross beautifully transformed into one of the largest outdoor gallery spaces in London.
The Queer Joy exhibition will showcase 50 striking portraits of queer people taken by emerging LGBTQ+ photographers in the UK. The project is a bright example of queer self-expression which is vital to the LGBTQ+ community, particularly within the creative space. It coincides with the one-year anniversary of the opening of Queer Britain which is the UK’s first LGBTQ+ museum, also located in King’s Cross on Granary Square.
Queer Joy will be part of a multi-year campaign that hopes to fill in the gaps of the LGBTQ+ history and presence in the art scene. Their images have often been erased or omitted from history which has left an LGBTQ+ hole in narratives about the past, the exhibition aims to remedy this. It is designed to ensure the archives of tomorrow are as diverse, representative and inclusive as they should be.
The project defines the concept of ‘Queer Joy’ as the deep happiness that brings warmth and purpose to queer lives. Skittles, GAY TIMES, Queer Britain and Getty Images want to be part of this mission to spread queer joy and help millions of people ‘See The Rainbow‘ by working to improve LGBTQ+ representation in photography.
The photographers involved in Queer Joy where chosen after a nation-wide search in 2022. The talented photographers were tasked with capturing all identities in 1000+ images and to help tackle their stereotypes in media. The hope is to better represent the vibrant and dynamic LGBTQ+ community.
A week on from the launch of the Queer Joy exhibition, King’s Cross will also be running an exciting queer market at its much-loved Canopy Market, running from June 9 – 11.
Speaking about the exhibition, Ryan Pardo-Roques, the Senior Brand Manager at Skittles said: “We’re thrilled to unveil our QUEER JOY exhibition in London as a celebration of unity in the run up to London Pride and beyond. Marking a three-year journey with our brilliant partners to help create the LGBTQ+ archives of tomorrow and shaping them into the dynamic and representative collections they ought to be, we hope that the exhibition will help further spark the feeling of queer joy and inspire vibrant expression. By helping people See The Rainbow we hope to drive more acceptance through visibility!”