beLONGING highlights the work of four LGBTQIA+ artists whose practice reflects on identity – what forms a sense of self? How do we find ourselves through resonance with others? Gestures of recognition and affirmation appear in each artist’s work, pointing to the idea of identity as an act of self-realization. Through textiles, painting, and sculpture, the artists locate threads of connection across space and time in myths, poetry, archival research, performance, and lived experiences. Taken as a whole, the exhibition explores the complex bonds of community, kinship, and desire, which form the outlines of belonging in both inherited and chosen worlds.
In alignment with the rich history of self-publication across LGBTQIA+ communities, beLONGING will include an interactive zine-making station using materials from the artists and a pop-up reading room with books and zines that reflect on the themes present in the exhibition. Through these interactive resources, the gallery supports space for people to connect with each other, with the exhibition, and with the communities in which they find belonging.

This exhibition is part of the citywide project (re)FOCUS, a collaboration among over 25 of Philadelphia’s visual arts institutions to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of FOCUS, a milestone exhibition of American women artists, held in Philadelphia in 1974. In revisiting FOCUS, (re)FOCUS includes a new generation of diverse artists working around themes of gender, sexuality, and intersectional identity.