OUT Collective
Originally scheduled to coincide with Pride in London 2021, the OUT Collective came to life with the motto “Pride must be lived, not only celebrated.”
The OUT Collective was an international network of galleries brought together on Vortic to champion LGBTQ+ artists and their stories and to support LGBTQ+ organisations working towards equality, visibility, wellbeing, and justice. The global digital community created an expansive exhibition space where contemporary artists such as Doron Langberg and Abel Auer could be viewed alongside queer trailblazers like Robert Mapplethorpe and Vanessa Bell.
Although the Pride in London events were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was more urgent than ever to support organisations offering vital services to LGBTQ+ communities. Alongside increasing visibility for the artists and the participating galleries, the OUT Collective raised global awareness of the essential work of our partner charities: akt, ELOP, Gendered Intelligence, Queercircle, and amfAR – The Foundation for AIDS Research.
20 galleries launched exhibitions on the Vortic platform between September and December 2021. The project was truly international in its ambitions, with the inaugural group of galleries based all over the globe, from London to Istanbul, New York to Bogotá, providing a global digital platform for local voices. This sense of an international LGBTQ+ community was further championed by a review exchange, which saw writers from Turkey and Venezuela exploring the OUT Collective presentations in a dialogue that transcended geographical restrictions.
Participating galleries:
Aninat, Santiago
Galería Elba Benítez, Madrid
Bortolami, New York
Carmen Araujo Arte, Caracas
Casa Triângulo
Galería El Museo
Instituto de Visión, São Paulo
Casas Riegner, Bogota
Central Galeria, São Paulo
Corvi-Mora, London
Dirimart, Istanbul
Galeria El Museo, Bogota
Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo
Fundación Govea Meoz, Caracas
Galerist, Istanbul
Instituto de Vision, Bogota
Kupfer, London
L21 Gallery, Palma, Islas Baleares
Victoria Miro, London
Piano Nobile, London
PROXYCO Gallery, New York
Zilberman Gallery, Istanbul and Berlin
Image: Vortic installation shot of the exhibition, ‘One day in the life of a sad boy’, Simon Demeuter. L21 Gallery.
The OUT Collective ran from 1 September – 31 December 2021
