queer abstraction

This exhibition features the work of twenty artists who create abstract art to convey the complexities of sexuality and gender identity in the 21st century.

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Alternative identities, desires and communities are explored through the artists’ manipulation of color, form, texture and materials. Many of these works defy the categories of painting or sculpture, while others camouflage reality in the guise of abstraction. Underlying the art is a fundamental and defiant commitment to pushing the limits of abstract art’s capability. Queer abstraction invites all visitors to leave preconceived notions of the body, sex, gender and love behind and discover abstraction’s queer possibilities.

This exhibition puts the Nerman Museum in the company of national and world-renowned art institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California. NBC News recognized queer abstraction as one of the top 16 thought-provoking exhibitions to visit in 2020.

Organized by the Des Moines Art Center. The Art Center’s presentation was funded in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation and Sotheby’s. The Nerman Museum presentation is funded in part by the Jedel Family Foundation.

Artists included:

Paolo Arao
Math Bass
Linda Besemer
Mark Bradford
Elijah Burgher
Tom Burr
Mark Joshua Epstein
Edie Fake
Keltie Ferris
Matthew Garcia
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Harmony Hammond
Nicholas Hlobo
Bo Hubbard
John Paul Morabito
Carrie Moyer
Sheila Pepe
Prem Sahib
Jonathan VanDyke
Jade Yumang