Queer Gardens: Pleasures in 4 Bases by Arjun Lal
As part of the 2021 CreateSpace Public Art Residency by STEPS Public Art, artist-in-residence Arjun Lal transformed public spaces in k’jipuktuk (otherwise known as Halifax, Nova Scotia) into sites for queer pleasure.
Project at a glance
Location: Garrison Grounds, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Artists: Arjun Lal, Excel Garay, Kayza DeGraff-Ford, Wren Tian-Morris
Year: 2021
Photographers: Photos courtesy of the artist and artist collaborators
Video Editor: May Shi
Services: Artist Capacity Building
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artist-in-residence
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artist mentor
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collaborating artists
About the Project
Centering queer liberation at Halifax Pride 2021, Arjun Lal’s Queer Gardens: Pleasures in 4 Bases is a collaborative art activation that created spaces for the enjoyment of the Queer community at large.
Working with emerging artists, Excel Garay, Kayza DeGraff-Ford and Wren Tian-Morris, and the additional support from artist mentor Alize Zorlutuna and STEPS Public Art, Arjun organized a lively art show and community barbeque at the Garrison Grounds in Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. The project explored expressions of Queer relationships by activating the legacies of the community through art installations, capped off with a free barbecue for all to enjoy.
“Public art for me is an opportunity to intervene, disrupt or put content into a space that normally wouldn’t be in a public capacity. We want to remind attendees that Pride is about our queer liberation and rights for sexuality and gender expression. This art show is about presenting content that is visibly queer without the added layers of symbols and colours to disguise it.”
About the Artist
Arjun Lal
Arjun Lal (he/they) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Kijipuktuk. His creative work has been focused on contemporary queer themes of identity, colonialism, fetish culture, and cultural fetishization. They are inspired by their lived experiences as a queer Indian diasporic person who has lived in cities on Turtle Island and in Berlin.
Lal received a Bachelor of Fine Arts – Interdisciplinary from NSCAD University and has had their work supported by Arts Nova Scotia and Canada Council for the Arts. They work across mediums including photography, ceramics, textiles, silicone, video, and performance.
Funders
The 2021 CreateSpace Public Art Residency is made possible by support from TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment, the City of Toronto as part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021 – 2022, MAWA, Canada Council for the Arts, and funding provided by the Government of Ontario.
