New art exhibition in Cork explores experiences of older gay men
gcn.ieA new art exhibition exploring the lives and experiences of older gay men will be launched today in Cork. The project aims at giving older LGBTQ+ people the possibility to express themselves through art and at acknowledging the struggles that they faced at a time when Irish society demonised and vilified them.Produced in association with Cork Gay Project, the exhibition is titled Before The Rainbow…And After and it includes collage images, poetic text, a film piece and a book of photography.
Other people who collaborated in the making of it are photographer Carolyn Collier, filmographer Cathal MacGabhann, UK artist Mark Storor and creative producer Claire Ryan.10 older members of the LGBTQ+ community participated in the project in the last nine weeks.
They took part in workshops to develop creative language together and find an artistic way to tell their stories. The result is an amazing exhibition that recounts these gay men’s stories through various artistic mediums, including collage, photography, film and costume design.“I’ve lived the full gamut of experiences as a gay man in Ireland seeing society dramatically change over time,” said Will Kennedy, one of the participants in the project. “This project has been the best thing I’ve ever done and holds a particular significance for me looking ahead to next year, which marks the 30th anniversary of decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland.”Some moving interviews this morning on a special #LivesLessOrdinary Tripe + Drisheen Sunday read.
