Photographic response to the absence of QTIPOC visibility in the permanent collection at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. It was inspired by one of the only pieces of black queer history in the collection: a photograph by Rotimi Fani-Kayode from 1987 entitled "Under the Surplice. Shot and styled by an all-black creative crew.
The Queer the Pier exhibition was founded on the premise that Brighton and Hove's current reputation for creativity and inclusivity is founded on it's long history of LGBTIQ+ community artistry, protest and visibility. The community curatorial team therefore wanted to challenge the premise that "bed notch" proof was required to evidence the existence of a local LGBTIQ+ past. Using a postcard depicting Brighton Palace Pier, the exhibition opens by asking the viewer instead, to prove who WASN'T queer? The reverses the premise and makes it obvious the disproportionate levels of proof required by the queer community to have their existence recognised, as compared with the straight community.