"Decades worth of photographed eyes gaze out from images of mustachioed lesbians, tattooed lovers and adolescent football players, observing us as we do them, making us subject as much as they are. It renegotiates the dynamic of who is being seen and who is doing the seeing. It makes queer bodies, identities and lived-experiences centred in their visibility, when so often they are relegated to the periphery."
"At a time when the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans, non-binary and gender-nonconforming folks, face increased censorship, surveillance and legislation in the public sphere, Opie's work is more resonant than ever."
"This is what artists, especially an artist like myself that loves portraiture so much, would hope that they could have their work in an institution like this. It's really moving. I'm never going to forget it."
Catherine Opie's exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery presents decades of photographs featuring queer subjects including mustachioed lesbians, tattooed lovers, and adolescent football players. The work creates a reciprocal gaze where photographed subjects observe viewers as much as viewers observe them, centering queer bodies, identities, and lived experiences in visibility rather than periphery. This exhibition is particularly resonant given increased censorship, surveillance, and legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, especially trans and gender-nonconforming individuals. Opie, inspired by photographer Lewis Hine from childhood, has pursued portraiture throughout her career, beginning with self-portraits at age nine.
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