During Pride month, NYC-based design studio, TRNK, debuted MIEN, a digital art exhibition showcasing the images of queer artists of colour using portraiture “to explore identity beyond visibility”. The artists involved include Naima Green, Dorian Ulises López Macías, Elliott Jerome Brown, Jr., Simone Thompson, Guanyu Xu, Nelson Morales, Derrick Woods-Morrow, and Texas Isaiah.
The exhibition will also be selling the works on display, with all proceeds going to the Ali Forney Center, which aids LGBTQ+ homeless youth. Each artwork is being sold as a 20 x 30 inches poster for $75 (unframed) or $250 (framed) until 30 June.
TRNK co-founder Tariq Dixon has worked closely with each of the artists involved to create a dialogue between the works.
"I think every queer and person of colour can relate to the tension between community and self explored by this group exhibition,” says Dixon. “The paradoxical burden, yet privilege of always representing something larger than oneself. The fury over society’s attempt to erase individual experiences, but the fulfilment earned by inspiring others who see themselves in you. Each of these artists interrogate this understanding in their own unique way. The artworks are strong assertions of the artists’ undeniable individuality, but they all join together in celebration of a shared queer identity.”
TRNK adds that this exhibition will hopefully encourage enthusiasts, curators, and collectors to “thoughtfully consider the cultural and personal impact of queer figuration.”
You can view – and buy prints from – the exhibition here