From Pride in Diversity to Standing Fast: Exhibiting Queer Culture in Ireland, 1996-2001

From Pride in Diversity to Standing Fast: Out Art, 1996 – 2001 explores the history of the Out Art exhibitions. Platforming the work of LGBTQ+ artists from Ireland and abroad, Out Art captured the range of work being made by queer artists in the wake of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland in 1993. Organised by a shifting collective, the exhibitions were themed and explored ideas of visibility, pride, and confrontation, offering insight into the this crucial moment for LGBTQ+ people in Ireland. Including reproductions of works that were shown as part of the exhibitions and reprints of original catalogue essays, the publication reflects on Out Art’s legacy and images a community of people working to understand what it meant to make and show queer art at the turn of the millenium in Ireland. With an introductory essay by curators Sarah Kelleher and Rachel Warriner and designed by Niall Sweeny, designer for several of the original catalogues, this publication is an important contribution to understanding the significance and legacies of Out Art.

This project was kindly supported by the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin and The Association for Art History. Designed by Niall Sweeney.