Exhibition re-opening: Queer artists shine in This Lunar Beauty

The evening featured performances by four poets: Maggie Pollard, Helen Darby, Abi Williams and Gordon MacLellan, each captivating the audience in their own unique style. There were tales of goddesses and mythical creatures, bold new haircuts and surreal nights out.

Shortly after opening, the Rock Mill Centre closed in order for a new mural to be painted, but on Thursday 4th July it re-opens to the public. The exhibition is a mix of styles and media. Some artists have chosen to address explicitly queer themes, while for others the queerness of their work may be more subtle. In the first room, three artists make use of the human figure. These works seem to speak to each other and to the viewer about love. Fenn Bartels’ ink drawing inspired by Max Ehrmann’s poem Desiderata encourages us to love ourselves, to know that we are valuable; Kevin Brohan’s vibrant oil painting of his boyfriend is bursting with the joy of romantic love; while Gabby Dolden’s acrylic landscapes tell of her love of the natural world. It’s a warm welcome to the exhibition that draws you in and invites you to take a further look.

A second room presents three artists whose work makes you want to reach out and touch it (but please don’t!). Helen Darby has created a Pansexual Pride piece – three hearts in pink, yellow and blue – from scraps of pottery and glass found in the rivers around New Mills. A work firmly connected to the local area, complemented by Theadora Fisher’s WE BELONG HERE, which takes the form of a “rural Pride flag” made from fabric scraps. Fisher talks about the way in which queer people can be pushed out of small towns and into big cities in order to find community, and how this shouldn’t have to be the case. In this way, perhaps Fisher’s work embodies the spirit of the exhibition as a whole – expressing a hope that New Mills, with its buzzing arts scene and strong sense of community, can be a truly safe and welcoming space for queer people. These artists are two of a growing number blurring the lines between what have previously been seen as distinct categories of "craft" and "fine art", and the same can be said of David Freeman Powell, whose work occupies the third spot in this room. It's interesting to note, as Freeman Powell says, that these "craft" practices (embroidery, weaving, quilting etc) are often thought of as feminine pursuits, and have therefore historically been seen as having less artistic value than the male-dominated world of "fine art". An exhibition celebrating gender diversity, then, seems like a perfect opportunity to explore and dispel these myths, and Freeman Powell's embroidered and wrapped cord pieces speak of deliberate, precise and repeated rejection of gender norms.

Visitors now craving a tactile experience will be delighted by Steven Calver's Moon Garden, nestled in a corner of the final room. This is a piece that not only can you touch - you can smell it, too. We are prompted to lift a glass cloche and inhale the scent of wet leaves, damp earth and jasmine. It's subtle at first, but grows as you inhale, almost a reward for patience, for allowing yourself to pause for a moment. And of course, you can't help but want to share the experience - I saw many visitors calling their friends over to "have a go".

Some of the work in this room takes a darker turn, which is perhaps, unfortunately, inevitable. Queer people still experience persecution and violence, and while there has certainly been progress, it is vitally important that those outside of the community understand that the fight for equal rights didn't end at ‘gay marriage’. That there are new battles every day, and today as much as ever we need good allies to fight with us. Two artists, Nicky Roscoe-Calvert (who also curated the exhibition) and Lucian Emmett, use text and image to portray systemic transphobia, taking direct quotes from MPs and newspaper headlines. It is notable that neither artist needs to exaggerate or sensationalise - these depictions of trans people as "evil" speak for themselves. In a similar vein, Gordon MacLellan's poem Blunt takes slurs that have been directed at him, repeating them defiantly and saying...so what if I am? "I ask no permission and seek no approval.”

This Lunar Beauty continues until 27th July, open 10AM - 4PM Thursday - Sunday.