Out of Frame: LGBTQI+ Night
Out of Frame: After Hours
Join us for an evening of tours, performances and conversations exploring LGBTQI+ stories and histories within the art on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Out of Frame has been developed in collaboration with Historian and self declared mytholgy nerd Sacha Coward and Queer Noise, a vibrant community centred organisation that collaborates with artists from diverse disciplines with a mission to curate and present an array of engaging events tailored to meet the unique interests and needs of our local LGBTQ+ community.
The event is part of our Out of Frame series of events created in response to the Past for the Present Project which aims to discover new ways for our collection to connect and speak to our lives today.
Our evening's compere without compare, will be the one, the only, the ultimate showman, and one of London's drag king pioneers, Adam All! He will be popping up throughout the night to welcome you to our very queer soiree!
Out of Frame Pop Up
Join historian and mythology nerd Sacha Coward (he/him) for a taster of the queer history tour he is developing for Dulwich Picture Gallery. Meet him throughout the building to hear about androgyny, cross-dressing, Kings that were queens and saucy saints.
Lyrical Lesbian Love Letters
Throughout history the intimacy and existence of lesbian relationships has been preserved through carefully coded and hidden love letters. For these pop up performance we will be opening the envelope, unfolding the paper and freeing the love letter from the page in a musical homage to the timelessness and power of lesbian love.
tall child is the alias for Zha Gandhi, a South East London based musician of Nigerian/Indian heritage paving the way for black artists in the indie music scene. Through brutally honest lyrics, Zha explores their experiences as a queer disabled POC in hopes of creating a space for those who empathise with having their differences being used against them.
KARIMA FRANCIS (They / Them)
KARIMA FRANCIS is a critically acclaimed musician and songwriter from Hackney, London, renowned for their innate ability to blend haunting melodies with honest lyrics and alluring ambiance. Their debut album ‘The Author’ in 2009 gained widespread critical acclaim as did their consequent album’s ‘The Remedy’ (2012) and ‘Black’ (2016). Their journey to date has found them playing on Later... With Jools Holland, supporting the likes of Paul Simon, Amy Winehouse and The Stereophonics, as well as working with renowned producer Flood (Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode). Entering a transfixing new chapter in their career, Francis found a new rhythm to recording-life on the West Coast of the USA last year. Unfurling a string of earnest and deeply affecting new singles inspired-by and recorded during their time there, new single “Carelessness Causes Fire” continues this new creative streak and directly follows on from previous singles “Orange Rose” “Shelf Life” released earlier in last year plus last year’s “Say”.
Grace Quigley is a queer poet, and co-parent of queer noise. Grace’s work explores dyke culture, queerness, community, London living, mental health, love, heartbreak and laughter. Her recent Offie nominated show ‘BLUEWATER’ received 5 stars in both Edinburgh and London. She is currently a member of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective.
Kia Matanky-Becker is a Queer Poet, Performance artist, sculptor and co-parent of Queer Noise. Kia's Lyrical poetry is an unapologetic exploration of queer relationships, friendship and community. They are particularly interested in queer coming of age narratives and their beautifully messy complexities. An over-sharer and attention seeker, get ready for tales of lesbian drama, late nights and the people they fell in love with on the bus this morning.
Kia has performed at poetry nights across the country, their performance films are archived internationally, and they were awarded the Poetry Society collaboration prize 2021.
Expressions of Gender Expression
While gender is commonly perceived as fixed and unchanging, the Dulwich Picture Gallery collection offers a historical perspective that unveils the evolving expressions and fluctuations of gender over time. For these pop up performances we will hear from poets whose writing explores the fluidity of gender and expressions of androgyny.
SL Grange's Poetry Wales award-winning pamphlet Bodies and Other Haunted Houses is published by Seren Books. Online-published poetry includes Letters of No Moment for the National Archives. Other credits include: Difficult Matter, an exhibition of poetry as artwork exploring the life of C17 female shipwright Mary Lacy, Triangle Deptford; A Note to Mary Frith, commissioned by Shakespeare's Globe for Notes to the Forgotten She-Wolves; and audio walks Fleet Footing and Wou D'Uelzecht with composer Catherine Kontz. Their academic writing is included in three new books concerning LGBTQ+ history, performance and community, due for publication through 2023 and 2024. Erce Erce Erce eorþan modor was published in Poetry Wales Autumn edition 2023.
Intisar (they/them)
Intisar (they/them) is a non-binary Somali poet and multi-disciplinary artist. Through the fusion of poetry and music, Intisar delves into profound themes of identity, navigating one's place in the world, and the intricate tapestry of intersectionality. Their work weaves through the unspoken nuances of emotions, using the synergy of words and melody to articulate the intricacies of the human experience. With a keen focus on family, community, and the evolving sense of self, Intisar invites audiences on a transformative journey, where every verse is a portal to deeper understanding and connection.
Drag King Drawing Room
Join us for this immersive life drawing experience responding to E.M. Parry`s (They/Them) durational performance Pricklings, in which viewer/participants are invited to stick pins into an ambiguously gendered silicone body-suit worn by the artist, staging themself as trans saint, queer icon, fetish object, witch’s poppet, a luck charm, a ritual, a process, a test, a game.
E.M Parry (They / Them) is Trans*-disciplinary artist, academic, and award-winning theatre maker, working across scenography, performance, drag and visual art, centring queer bodies and narratives. Straddling and splicing genres and platforms, their work has been staged in the West End, international opera stages, pubs, clubs, ships, lecture halls, museums and haunted basements. They work with, through and for the queer body, squinting at history, flirting with ghosts and the things that go bump in the margins.
Principle Bois
These pop up performances will present theatrical explorations of gender, the body and queerness from prominent London drag kings and things.
Beau Jangles (he/him) is the vintage-style drag king-about-town who The Guardian has called ‘a compelling host’. Beau blends drag, comedy, live singing, and old-school charm and has performed across London, the UK, and internationally, at venues including The Clapham Grand, The Southbank Centre, The Sam Wanamaker Theatre, Kew Gardens, The Barbican, and The Phoenix Theatre on the West End.
Wet Mess (They/Them) are an artist who works across visual art, drag, dance, theatre, including choreographing videos for Will Young and London Grammar. Recently they were part of Travis Alabanza's Sound of the Underground (Royal Court) which received 5 stars in the Guardian; and winner of Not Another Drag Competition (RVT) 2021. Their film work has been funded by Jerwood Arts and screened at London Short film festival, ICA and The Photographers gallery.
Creative Quiet Room
Head over to our creative quiet room for a break from the hustle and bustle of the main event. Enjoy a quiet moment of reflection, take part in a mindful craft activity or speak to our experienced diversity, equity and inclusion facilitator Josh who will be on hand to provide support and a listening ear throughout the night.
Josh Willacy (he/him) is a facilitator, consultant, and speaker with a decade of expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Josh's facilitation style combines energy, compassion, and fun, dedicated to creating environments where individuals feel acknowledged, heard, and valued.
Gimlet Bar
Enjoy a variety of cocktails created by master mixoligists at the Gimlet bar.
Funded by The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund – delivered by the Museums Association.
