Eight Black queer visual artists changing the way we see ourselves & others
The art world is making strides in the areas of diversity, inclusion, and equity, there is still work to be done. Black artists are still underrepresented in the industry, Black artists, particularly Black queer artists, have had an outsized influence on culture
With summer drawing to a close, the art world is looking ahead to The Armory Show, an art fair that brings leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year.
The Armory Show, which typically attracts around 65,000 people, is a significant platform for artists to exhibit and market their work to an international audience.
Although the art world is making strides in diversity, inclusion, and equity, there is still work to be done. According to a 2014 census report by BFAMFAPhD, 8% of working artists in the United States are Black. Still, Black artists only made up 2.2% of acquisitions and 6.3% of exhibitions in a period surveyed between 2008 and 2020.
Although Black artists are still underrepresented in the industry, Black artists, particularly Black queer artists, have had an outsized influence on culture. If you’re looking for evidence of that impact, look no further than the streets of any major global city, where the stylings of Jean-Michel Basquiat routinely influence graffiti and street art.
Or look to the halls of the Smithsonian to Kehinde Wiley’s official portraits of former President Obama.
Ahead of Armory week, and in celebration of the groundbreaking impact of Black queer artists like Basquiat and Wiley, we’ve compiled a list of 6 Black queer visual artists changing the way we see ourselves and others.
Myles Loftin
This Maryland native is a part of the new vanguard of image makers. His work has been featured in various publications, including Teen Vogue, Paper Magazine, i-D, and The Fader. Last year he presented “True Beauties”, a solo exhibition in New York City with Maison Kitsune. A collection of Loftins’ work can be found on Instagram.
Carlos Martiel
Born in Havana and currently living and working in New York, Martiel is one of the most decorated artists of his generation. Martiel is the inaugural recipient of the Maestro Dobel Latinx Art Prize at El Museo de Barrio. His works have been included in the 11th Lanzarote Biennial, Spain, the 4th Vancouver Biennale, Canada, the 14th Sharjah Biennial, United Arab Emirates and the 57th Venice Biennale, Italy. You can see his debut New York City solo museum exhibition, “Cuerpo: Carlos Martiel,” now through Sept. 1 at El Museo de Barrio. More of Martiel’s work can be discovered on Instagram.
Neo Baepi
This Johannesburg-based photographer works in portraiture and is responsible for various stellar images. Their work has been commissioned and featured on Netflix, Careers Magazine, and Penguin Random House. Print publications of Baepi’s work include The Lake Magazine, Prufrock Magazine, and The Mail & Guardian. More of Baepi’s work can be seen on Instagram.
LaQuann Dawson
Born in Ohio but currently living and working in Brooklyn, Dawson lights social media ablaze with a series of dreamy self-portraits and creates across mediums of film and paint as well. His work has been featured in publications like The New York Times and Out Magazine. Also a passionate community organizer, Dawson serves as visual director of MOBI (Mobilizing Our Brothers Initiative), where he curated a gallery exhibition featuring all Black queer artists called “Process” this summer. A collection of Dawsons’ work can be found on Instagram.
Texas Isaiah
This Los Angeles-based Brooklyn native is one of the first trans photographers to photograph a Vogue edition cover that featured Janet Mock, Patrisse Cullors, Jesse Williams, and Janaya Future Khan! His work has been featured in the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Getty Museum. More work from this artist can be discovered on Instagram.
Alejandro Pe
Alejandro Pe is a brilliant multidisciplinary artist who creates portraiture, film, sketch, and painting. He co-founded PAJARO MAGO, a Santo Domingo-based creative group that produces audiovisual projects about lifestyle, fashion, and cinema. Through his visual art practice, he illuminates the beauty and talent of underrepresented communities in the Dominican Republic.
Quil Lemons
Born in Philadelphia and based in New York City, Quil Lemons’ work interrogates ideas around masculinity, family, queerness, beauty, and race. At 23, he became the youngest photographer to shoot a cover for Vanity Magazine and has shown no signs of slowing down since. In 2023, he debuted his first solo exhibition, Quiladelphia, with Hannah Traore Gallery. A collection of Lemons’ work can be found on Instagram.
Clifford Prince King
Clifford Prince King’s dreamy image-making is nothing short of iconic. Born in Arizona but based in New York, King’s work centers on Black queer subjects and archives our intimacy. His images have been featured in publications like The New York Times, Dazed, i-D Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. His work has also been collected by prestigious arts institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. A collection of Kings’ work can be found on Instagram.
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