More than 50 LGBTQ+ artists, designers and makers will showcase their work in south London next month as Queeriosities, billed as the UK's largest queer art and makers fair, returns for its fifth edition.
The three-day event will take place at Copeland Gallery in Peckham from 2 - 4 October, bringing together creatives from across the UK and beyond for a weekend celebrating queer art, craft and design.
Founded by curator Davy Pittoors, Queeriosities has grown into one of the UK's most significant platforms for LGBTQ+ artists. Organisers say last year's fair attracted almost 3,000 visitors and generated tens of thousands of pounds in direct revenue for participating artists.
Alongside stalls featuring original artwork, ceramics, jewellery, clothing, books and queer ephemera, visitors will also be able to explore a curated fine art exhibition and take part in a programme of community-focused events.
Pittoors said the fair was created to strengthen connections between queer artists and audiences while creating new opportunities for financial support within the community. "I founded the annual Queeriosities Art and Makers Fair to connect queer artists and queer audiences to create new forms of financial support and togetherness within our community," they said.
"Now as we head into our fifth edition, the impact shows how there are other ways of working when we shape the opportunities ourselves."
Among the artists exhibiting at this year's fair are illustrator Bee, painter Adam Baker, ceramicist Fredde Lanka and artist RTiiiKA, alongside returning exhibitors including Richard Kilroy, Lily Deason, happybellyman, Oli Raptor and LGBTQ+ bookshop The Common Press.
A major feature of this year's programme is Here We Go Again, a group exhibition exploring ideas of queer truth and identity at a time of growing social and political uncertainty.
Curated by Pittoors, the exhibition brings together new work by six artists: Winnona Hedgeland, Tom Hemingway, Sandy Kiralawella, Jingyi Li, Ailsa Ogden and acclaimed Los Angeles-based artist Joey Terrill.
The exhibition will mark the first UK presentation of a work from Terrill's multimedia Still-Life series, which incorporates HIV medication used during the AIDS crisis directly into the artwork.
Organisers say the exhibition will showcase a wide range of artistic practices, including painting, drawing, lace-making, metalwork and mixed-media installation.
Founded as a travelling platform for LGBTQ+ creatives, Queeriosities aims to champion artists and makers whose voices have historically been overlooked, while creating new opportunities for queer communities to connect through art, design and culture.
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