Spotlight on.. GEMMA ROLLS-BENTLEY
Gemma Rolls-Bentley has been at the forefront of contemporary art for almost two decades, working passionately to amplify the work of queer artists and provide a platform for art that explores lgbtqia+ identity. She curates exhibitions, builds art collections, and leads projects internationally. She is also a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art and has sat on the boards of numerous organisations and charities that support diversity in the arts.
May 2024 sees the release of ‘Queer Art: From Canvas to Club and The Spaces Between’, Gemma’s first book, celebrating the lgbtqi+ community with a vivid collection of artworks that chart queer voices from around the world.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT ‘QUEER ART : FROM CANVAS TO CLUB AND THE SPACES BETWEEN.’ AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO CREATE IT?
My curatorial work has increasingly focussed on the work of queer artists over the last decade and I’m often asked to recommend good books about queer art, which are few and far between. I wanted to create something that offers an introduction to queer art, that presents a nuanced look at lgbtqia+ life through art organised by broad and easily accessible topics such as home, love and visibility, rather than something chronological that felt academic in its approach. this book is for everyone – it provides an opportunity for queer people to see themselves reflected in art and culture and for people outside of the community to gain insight into our experiences.
YOU HAVE BEEN ELEVATING LGBTQ+ WORK FOR YEARS. WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU TO SHOWCASE QUEER ART AND ARTISTS?
I firmly believe that art has the power to change things. by spending time with art we can gain different perspectives and learn about the experiences of others. art can also help us make sense of ourselves, as a queer woman art has certainly helped me navigate my own identity. artists have been making art about the lgbtqia+ experience – both explicitly and implicity – throughout history and their work can be moving, educational, uplifting and reflective. As a movement, queer art has continued to gain momentum and queer artists continue to push boundaries and carve space for our community in their work. I feel honoured to be able to provide a platform for queer art and to help share it with the world.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ART CAN CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING A POSITIVE CHANGE FOR QUEER PEOPLE?
Growing up as a queer or trans person in a society dominated by heteronormative narratives can be very isolating and confusing. queer art provides space to connect with ourselves and our community, to celebrate our individual and shared experiences, and to make change in a world that is still unaccepting and unsafe for many lgbtqia+ people.
YOU’RE VERY USED TO CURATING EXHIBITIONS. WERE THERE ANY DIFFERENT CHALLENGES OR JOYS IN THE CURATING OF A BOOK?
This is a good question! It was exciting putting a book together because I knew that the potential audience is huge, which is also quite a scary thought! I always make sure that any project I do, from curating an exhibition to building an art collection, is diverse in terms of artist identity and artistic practice. however, with a book like this, it felt really important to offer a global view of the contemporary queer experience and I worked really hard to find artists from all around the world whose work represents different parts of the multifaceted queer experience.
THE TITLE ‘FROM CANVAS TO CLUB AND THE SPACES BETWEEN’ IS BEAUTIFUL AND EVOCATIVE. WHAT ARE THOSE KEY ‘SPACES BETWEEN’ FOR YOU?
Well at first when I put the title together I was thinking about all the different places that we might find queer art. because the pathways to existing are not straightforward for queer and trans people, their art doesn’t always appear in museums and galleries, I’ve included art that takes the form of video games or NFTs, protest art or night club performances, to name just a few examples. but the more time I spent with the art in the book the more I realised that the spaces between are the magical spaces unique to the fluidity and blurred boundaries found within LGBTQIA+ life and identity.
ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR PIECES OR ERAS FROM THE BOOKS COLLECTION THAT SPEAK TO YOU THE MOST?
I loved learning more about the lesbian activist artists working in the 1980s and 90s. in London Jill Posner was photographing hilarious graffiti billboards.
And in new york city, the collective’s dyke action machine and fierce pussy were taking to the streets with their photocopied posters that called for visibility and acceptance for lesbians.
It’s refreshing to see the work of these lesbian artists because so much of queer art history is dominated by white cis gay male artists, whose work is also important, but there is so much more that we need to see and learn about!
WHERE DOES YOUR WORK TAKE YOU NEXT?
Excitingly, I’m going to be curating two exhibitions in the UK this year. First, I’m co-curating an exhibition called Ultraviolet with Ell Pennick, founder of guts gallery, for kkweer arts, a new platform that supports queer artists. The exhibition explores queer visual coding and will open in Soho on 4 July. Later in the year, I’m curating a group show at Carl Freedman Gallery in Margate, which opens in late September. I’ll be delighted to give Margate Pride a tour!
AND ON MARGATE – WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL MARGATE DAY?
I actually have my ideal Margate day in the diary already. On Saturday, 18 May, I’m going to be interviewed by Rob Diament and Russell Tovey for their podcast Talk Art in front of an audience at Turner Contemporary – I think there are still a few tickets left here. The talk will be followed by a party in the galleries with amazing DJs, including Margate Pride’s own Amy Zing and Mia Grimehouse, and Jess Hall and Vic Legtaine from Camp (my favourite Margate bar). The sun is due to set at 8.45 pm and the galleries overlook the sea so I think it’s going to be a pretty magical evening. I’m staying at Margate House Hotel that weekend, which I’m super excited about because they have a beautiful art collection. And if I’m being honest, I’ll be making sure I find time to have a dip in the sea at the Walpole Bay Tidal Pool, spend £10 down the arcade and eat some fish and chips on the front.
To find out more about Gemma Rolls-Bentley, you can visit their website www.gemmarollsbentley.com and find them on Instagram @gemmarollsbentley
Queer Art: From Canvas to Club and The Spaces Between by Gemma Rolls-Bentley is published by Quarto on 9 May 2024. You can pre-order it now.
Join Gemma and Talk Art’s Russell Tovey and Robert Diament for a live Talk Art show, book signing and afterparty at Turner Contemporary in Margate on 18 May.
In conversation: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
After party 7:00 pm – 10:30 pm