Seen: A Multimedia Art Exhibition

This multimedia photography show is a celebration of PRIDE in photography. Artists A.B. Art & Kim Needham explore what it means to see and be SEEN. Featuring black and white photography, color photography, creative makeup, and photo manipulation with India ink and embroidery.

IN THEIR SHADOW: PRIDE ICON SERIES

PRIDE is a time for us to look back and reflect on how far we’ve come and pay homage to the people who have paved the way for our queer communities. This series reflects on what it means to stand proud in the shadows of these LGBTQ icons. Historic photos of Frida Kahlo (red), Harvey Milk (orange), Andy Warhol (yellow), RuPaul (green), Billie Holiday (blue), and Freddie Mercury (violet), we’re excepted from their original context and reimagines with colorful silhouettes painted with India ink.

Prints and canvases available 8x10 and 16x20.

EVERYDAY EUPHORIA SERIES

This series explores the concept of gender euphoria, a sense or feeling of pleasure and comfort in one’s gender expression. Models were asked to consider what made them feel a sense of euphoria on a daily basis. The photographs offer a glimpse into these expressions.

THE WAY I SEE YOU: EMBROIDERED PHOTOGRAPHS

This series explores what it means to see and be seen by another. It opens a conversation between artists about how we can relate to one another through art and how that communication of identity can be mediated materially through photography, canvas, digital drawing, and embroidery.

1) “Triangulation” this concept in research is used to denote the use of different theoretical formulations to check one’s findings. The idea being that if you look at something and study it from a number of angles you will have a more holistic understanding of its nature. This piece began as an intimate photograph, sent between lovers, it then became a drawing over a photograph, then three drawings over a photograph, an expression of “this is how you make me feel, seen from so many angles, but rendered soft and beautiful in your eyes.” The addition of embroidery floss over the lines adds to the softness of the photo giving it a tactile materiality.

2) “___ ___ Boom” this piece explores the physical sensation and movement associated with a tic in Tourette’s Syndrome. The artists photograph the bodily movements that often occur during a tic. Layering these photographs, and adjusting their opacity, they trace around the outlines with neon strings, discussing the electric nature of the sensation, the jarring physicality of the movement, and the pain throughout and after the experience. The result is a dizzying display that offers the viewer a glimpse into artist’s experience.

3) “Chain Reaction” this piece explores the generative nature of experimental, collaborative art. The original photograph evokes a film negative, using a ring light, the artists play with light and shadow, shape and texture, the abstract potential of portraiture. The addition of the embroidery (colloquially know as the chain stitch) traces along the defining features of the face giving it a sort of 3D sculptural sensibility that wonders, what’s next?

4) “Love is Love” this photo taken in silhouette of a neon sign that reads “love is love” that hangs in our studio. The embroidery seems to glow on this canvas with a subtlety of hues between the neon lights and their colorful refractions, a reminder that when we shine brightest, our identities are vibrantly reflect in those who love and support us.

SERVING FACE: PRIDE MAKEUP by Issac Perdue

This series explores the expression of PRIDE through makeup artistry. Issac Perdue composed three makeup looks that express the way he sees PRIDE. In the gallery, preliminary sketches are hung beside the photographs to document the creative process from concept to creation. You can find more of Zac’s work on his Insta @peculiarclowndisease.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Kim Needham (right)

Raised in a military family, Kim gleaned a love for travel and diversity as a young art lover. Trained as an interdisciplinary artist in high school, they decided to hone their photography skills on the streets of New Orleans opening their own photography studio and garnering much praise for their work in magazines like Louisiana Life, New Orleans, and the Picayune Papers. Displaced after the hurricane, they moved to Illinois where they built a career in sales and marketing. Photographing national parks, local farms, bands, and live performances, Kim keeps their camera at hand to highlight the unique nature of the Southern Illinois community. As a community action board member of Rural Harmony and The Rainbow Cafe, their recent work explores LGBTQ+ identities and seeks to embrace and empower people in those communities. Their cheeky calendar “Farms and Faces,” sold quickly as a fundraiser for the Rainbow Cafe.

A.B. Art (left)

Born in Los Angeles, California, A.B. is a Jack of all trades. Born into a family of artists, they have been making multimedia art projects since they were very young. What began as a grandmother teaching them to crochet, knit, tat, quilt, and make jewelry, turned to photography, graphic design, poetry, musical theatre, collage, cartooning, vinyl installations, and murals. Their writing has been published in several academic journals including Storytelling, Self, and Society, Liminalities, and Text and Performance Quarterly. They toured their solo show “Slant: A Show about Falling, Failing, and Risk” around the U.S. and to Melbourne, AU. Their work often focuses on queer identity, storytelling, and empowerment. They are currently wrapping up their doctorate in communication studies and performance while managing a local microbrewery in DuQuoin, IL. They are slowly developing a queer art collective they affectionately call ARThaus.

CONTRIBUTE TO THIS WORK

We love to collaborate and there are many ways that can happen! First, we love to work with burgeoning artists. Do you have an idea, are you willing to be photographed, drawn, interviewed, celebrated? Drop us a line! Do you wanna buy art or commission something? Fabulous! We love doing that! Do you just wanna give us a hand? We super appreciate that!! The cost of the printing for this show alone was $1,200. If you would like to help offset that cost, please click the links below and feel free to donate via PayPal or Venmo :) thank you for understanding that art is work :)