In celebration of Pride, luxury fitness and lifestyle brand Equinox and the infamous Sotheby’s auction house have come together to host an incredible exhibition and benefit auction titled Forms of Intimacy: A Celebration of Pride.
The exhibition contains more than twenty photographs from LGBTQIA+ artists including Ryan McGinley, Steven Klein, Willy Vanderperre, Laurence Philomène, Emmie America and Cherry Au Hon I.
100% of the auction proceeds will go to support Camp Felix Pride, a brand new summer camp for LGBTQIA+ youth in the New York City foster care system that provides life-changing experiences in personal growth and connection.
Central to the exhibition is an exploration of the many ways of how queer intimacy can be expressed, as well as platforming those who are pushing the boundaries and pre-conceptions that still surround queer lives. The selected works seeks to provoke new conversations surrounding sexuality, representation, and self-expression within art and queer culture.
‘The many versions of intimacy shown in this art benefit project demonstrates that LGBTQIA+ people have achieved so much, though there remains much work to do,’ says Shai Baitel, Artistic Director for the exhibition. ‘Indeed, LGBTQIA+ youth and young people are an extremely vulnerable population whose situation has been made even more precarious by the isolation and stresses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.’
Forms of Intimacy: A Celebration of Pride is thoughtfully curated exhibit championing and supporting queer people across the spectrum of sexuality and gender, through brave, vulnerable and most notably, intimacy.
Will Mayer, Executive Creative Director for Equinox, says that “Equinox encourages self-expression, independence, and self-improvement—values that resonate with the artistic voices highlighted in the brand’s initiative.”
‘Equinox’s creative inspiration is realised through diverse storytelling across various art forms and culture,” he says. ‘Expressed through ‘Forms of Intimacy, a Celebration of Pride,’ the initiative amplifies emerging and established artists in the LGBTQIA+ community who depict the multiplicity of human gender and sexuality through a photographic lens,’ added Mayer. ‘We have a long history of working with iconic photographers who share this vision and spark dialogue with their approach to celebrating pop-culture through their work.’
Forms of Intimacy: A Celebration of Pride will run from 21st – 30th June, 2022 at Sotheby’s New York. For more details please visit Sotheby’s.
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