Everyone’s Talking About: Pride Through the Lens
Everything you missed from art'otel's travelling photography exhibition debut.
An unforgettable opening night
June’s heavy heat has finally hit us, which makes one thing official: Pride has arrived. But summer’s loudest celebration didn’t kick off with a bang — it began with the snap of a camera shutter. A one-night-only ode dedicated to Joel Rodriguez, director and creative behind ‘Celebrating Joy in Resistance’ — the debut exhibition from our ‘Pride Through the Lens’ series.
Pairing candid portraits with deeply intimate stories of identity, resilience, love, and joy, Joel’s work quite literally came to life as the photographer shared the spotlight with two of the exhibition’s subjects — Ted Brown and Jawadat Bashorun.
Ted, organizer of the UK’s first official Gay Pride, went first, sharing stories just as colourful as you’d expect from a man who’s been a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ rights since 1972. Next came Jawadat — founder of the African Queer and Creative charity. Unapologetically queer and remarkably sincere, her journey of self-identity was a powerful reminder that love and acceptance start from within.
Talks over, Joel, Ted and Jawadat took the time to mingle amongst friends and gallerygoers in what was a prosecco-laden celebration of the trio’s accomplishments. Come night’s end, there was no doubt art’otel’s vibrant travelling photography exhibition ‘Pride Through the Lens’ landed with flying colours.
Jealous? See what you missed out on below and here’s where you can catch it next.