First Queer Armenian Art Exhibit is Opening in Los Angeles

A new exhibit focusing on queer Armenian art is opening this weekend in Glendale, CA. The exhibit, “The Many Faces of Armenians,” will show work that brings attention to the exclusion felt by both the LGBTQ and Armenian communities.

The exhibit is a collaboration between the Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society (GALAS), Abril Bookstore and Roslin Art Gallery, where the exhibit and its events will be held. In addition to the art work, the exhibit will also include a series of film viewings, panel discussions and a performance. To celebrate Pride month, the exhibit and events will run from June 8th to June 28th.

For those who don’t know, Glendale has a large Armenian population. Armenian-Americans make up more than 30 percent of the city’s population, and as of March 2018, four out of five of the city council members in Glendale are Armenian. The exhibit features both local Glendale artists as well as artists from abroad.

After years of persecution and genocide, Armenia was officially declared an independent state in 1991, so its nation is very new. Inside Armenia and within Armenian culture, LGBTQ people still have a difficult time navigating their own lives. But within the greater Los Angeles area, those LGBTQ Armenians have found an acceptance. This exhibit aims to discuss that relationship as well as other experiences common for queer Armenians.