ePaulE_1980 ©Lola Flash
Lola Flash ©Christa Holka
In this talk, Lola Flash shares their artistic practice, which focuses on the intersection of race, sexual identity, aging, and social justice activism. As a photographer who has documented the art scene in downtown New York City and the global LGBTQ+ movement for 40 years, Flash’s photography is an introspective assessment of their life experience. Their portraits unmask the elegance and love for those often deemed invisible
Biography
Working at the forefront of genderqueer visual politics for more than four decades, photographer Lola Flash’s work challenges stereotypes as well as gender, sexual, and racial preconceptions. An active member of ACT UP during the time of the AIDS epidemic in New York City, Flash was notably featured in the 1989 “Kissing Doesn’t Kill” poster. Their art and activism are profoundly connected, fueling a lifelong commitment to visibility, and preserving the legacy of LGBTQIA+ and communities of color worldwide. Flash’s work is in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, MoMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, and the National African American Museum of History and Culture. They are a proud member of the Kamoinge Collective, and on the Board of Queer Art.
