2024 Biennial

A Biennial Exhibition Devoted to LGBTQ+ Art

curated by patrick burton

Paula Allen | Niurka, Havana, 1998

180+ Artists

11 Galleries

800+ Works

Now in its second iteration, this biennial exhibition, produced by Mighty Real/Queer Detroit, explores the mirroring relationship between art and self as well as art and communities. The exhibition highlights the role of art in achieving personal visibility and social connection.

Art reveals who we are. And the mirroring power of art is key to creating positive and meaningful representations of LGBTQ+ folk. I’ll Be Your Mirror: Reflections of the Contemporary Queer examines timeless issues, which are especially relevant in the current political atmosphere when the freedom to express visibility is under mounting assault.

I'll Be Your Mirror: Reflections of the Contemporary Queer will run from Friday, May 31, to Sunday, June 30, in various Detroit galleries.

Participating Galleries

Slava Mogutin | Ange and June, Riis Beach, 2019

Featured Artists

Austin Ackles / Paula Allen / Marcel Pardo Ariza  / Marc Arthur  / Steven Arnold  / Shiloh Ashley  / Alvin Baltrop  / Meli Bandera  / Cameron Barker  / Adam Baran  / Beau  / Felix Beaudry  / Heather Benjamin  / Helen Berggruen  / Michael Bilsborough  / Laicee Blackwell  / Erin Brott  / Patrick Bunyan  / Matthew Burcaw   / Jeannine Caesar   / Mavado Charon  / Shudi Chen  / Feather Chiaverini  / Christeene  / Wayne Coe  / Liz Collins  / Andrea Costantini  / Scott Covert  / Stephanie Crawford  / John Criscitello  / Robert Culicover  / Christopher Cushman  / Christa Joo Hyun D’Angelo  / Thomas Dozol  / John de Fazio  / Alyssa DeLuccia  / Carl Demeulenaere  / Florence Derive  / Wendy Deutelbaum  / Erika Diamond  / Darrell J. Dinges / Julio Dominguez  / Michael Economy  / Edie Fake  / Eridian Falcone  / Librada González Fernández  / Carl Ferrero  / DW Fitzpatrick  / Lola Flash / Ryan Foerster / LeRoy Foster  / Eve Fowler  / Benjamin Fredrickson  / Christopher Gene  / Joel Gibb  / Brenda Goodman  / David Greene  / Nickie Gunning  / John Gutoskey  / Harmony Hammond  / Duncan Hannah  / John Hanning  / Erik Hanson  / Boswell Hardwick  / Hillary Harkness  / Lyle Ashton Harris  / Jesse Harrod  / Clarity Haynes  / Clifford Hengst  / Scott Hewicker  / Bryan Hoffman  / Rinaldo Hopf  / Maggie Hubbard  / Scott Hug  / Stephen Irwin  / Adriene Jenick  / Doug Johnsonson  / G.B. Jones  / Alvaro Jurado  / Katie Kaplan  / Erika Keck  / Kira Keck  / Brian Kenny / Matt Keegan / Sahar Khoury  / Clifford Prince King  / Wayne Koestenbaum  / Paul Kopkau  / Keith Kotick  / Howard Kottler  / Dave Kube  / Katharine Kuharic  / Julia Kunin  / Marcus Leatherdale  / Naama Levitt  / Tom Livo  / Evan Lockhart  / George Platt Lynes  / Jacky Marshall  / Rachel Mason  / Felicita Felli Maynard  / Groana Melendez  / Annie Meyer  / Alicia McCarthy  / Peter McGough  / Marla McLeod  / John McKaig  / Lucas Michael  / Billy Miller  / Bobby Miller  / Slava Mogutin  / Ace Morgan  / Leon Mostovoy  / Eileen Mueller  / Emilia Nawrocki   / Jeremy Noonan  / Merel Noorlander  / Kasper Ray O’Brien  / Jeanine Oleson  / Joe Ovelman  / Matthew Papa  / Matthew Pawlowski / Silvia Prada  / Gordon Price  / Clifford Pun  / Diana Puntar  / Gwenael Rattke  / Brett Reichman  / Adam Rolston  / Gabriel García Román  / Carol Saft  / Daniel Samaniego  / Connie Samaras / Stuart Sandford  / Marc Santo (revel)  / Jesse Satterfield  / Tylonn J. Sawyer  / Zena Segre  / Julie Shafer  / Hilla Shapira  / Wayne Shimabukuro  / Ethan Shoshan  / Linda Simpson  / Jen Smith  / Sunny A. Smith  / Pamela Sneed  / Peter Sparling  / Jeanette Spicer  / Hugh Steers  / Shauna Steinbach  / A.L. Steiner  / James Stephens  / Mingdong Sun  / Vincent Tiley  / Sanh Tran  / Daniel Trese  / Ara Tucker  / Corey Tut  / Carl Van Vechten  / Mark A. Vieira / Anthony Viti  / Wilhelm Von Gloeden  / April Walker  / Jan Wandrag  / Patrick Webb  / Frederick Weston  / Jessica Whitbread  / Bre'Ann White  / Vagner Whitehead / Tony Whitfield  / Levester Williams  / Doug Wright  / Anthony Peyton Young 

PBS NEWS HOUR, June 27, 2024

Detroit showcases queer art in pioneering exhibition

EVENTS ALL MONTH LONG

I’ll Be Your Mirror – Reflections of the Contemporary Queer

Visual arts events, cinema, and live performances.

Drew de Pinto | Compton’s ‘22, 2022

Thursday, June 6, 2024

I’LL BE YOUR MIRROR:
QUEER DOCUMENTARY SHORTS 2020 - 2024

at the DIA/Detroit Film Theatre.

Curated by Adam Baran

“Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” It’s a question that’s going to be everywhere this election year, but for most queer people in America the answer, as always, is no. In this captivating program inspired by the theme of this year’s Mighty Real Queer Detroit biennial: “I’ll Be Your Mirror: Reflections of the Contemporary Queer”, filmmaker Adam Baran curates his favorite LGBTQ+ documentary shorts from the past 4 years of the pandemic, creating an intergenerational portrait of our lives in these increasingly perilous times. You’ll visit the sites of early queer rights rebellions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, experience a punk rock fairytale in Florida, observe three queer elders grappling with their place in the world, and witness firsthand how issues like isolation, climate catastrophe, racism, transphobia and gentrification are impacting our lives today. Yet even within our struggles, there are moments of beauty, joy, and hard-fought freedom, as this essential collection of films clearly illustrates.

Opening Dates and Times

Saturday, June 1, 2024 (5-9 pm)

Hatch Art

Irwin House

Sunday, June 2, 2024 (2-5 pm)

CCS-Center Galleries

Elaine Jacob Gallery

Saturday, June 15, 2024 (1-3 pm)

Anton Art Center

A.L. Steiner | Greatest Hits

Clarity Haynes | Alter for Tee Corinne, 2019.

Support Queer Art

Donate to “I’ll Be Your Mirror: Reflections of the Contemporary Queer” Detroit Biennial 2024

Together, we can create meaningful change, amplify queer voices, and cultivate a more inclusive and vibrant arts landscape. We invite you to join us on this journey of creativity, expression, and empowerment.

A Month-Long Art Exhibition Devoted to 77 Years (1945-2022) of Detroit LGBTQ+ Art curated by patrick burton.

Martini Marti (Le Roy Foster) | Self Portrait, 1945