Showcasing the diversity of LGBTQ+ voices on an international scale, Photo Book Cafe in Shoreditch is hosting a multidisciplinary group show to coincide with the finale of London Pride. Running this weekend (June 29-30), Cock For Pride features work by emerging and established queer artists including Cherry Au, Austin Fischer, Maisie Cowell, Caitlin Hazell, Gabriel B. Annouka, Billy Jude Slicks, Rebecca Zephyr Thomas, Antonio Mingot, Giulio Ventisei, JC Candanedo and Ian Kay.
Sponsored by queer venue The Cock Tavern in Kennington and supported by photo lab Rapid Eye, the exhibition’s launch party promises live music and performance alongside exhibited works from queer artists, a written collaboration with the Museum of Sex Objects and bespoke cocktails from the Cock’s finest.
Leading up to the exhibition, exhibiting artist Rebecca Zephyr Thomas has collaborated with The Photo Book Cafe on an exploration of her archive documenting another famed local queer venue, The Nelson’s Head. One such image depicts iconic performance artists Ms. Sharon Le Grand and Nicky styled by theatrical designer Max Allen. “All three are incredible artists who help make London such an exciting place to be,” Thomas says of the shot. Also featured at the event are select shots from Thomas’ upcoming archival project Day ‘n’ Nite, a collection of ten years of portraits shot at East London’s LGBTQ+ hotspots.
Three crown jewels in this circuit – The George and Dragon, The Joiners Arms and The Nelson’s Head – all tragically closed within a year of each other in the mid-2010s. “The landscape of east London changed a lot during this period,” Thomas says soberingly. In this spirit, prints will be available to buy, with proceeds going to Friends of the Joiner’s Arms – a group dedicated to reopening the iconic east London venue as a community-run LGBTQ+ space.
Cock For Pride will run from June 29 to 30 at The Photo Book Cafe in Shoreditch. RSVP here to attend the launch party on June 29 from 6pm.
