LJ Roberts’s multimedia textile work maps the interconnected activist and creative communities of queer and trans cooperatives and collective houses in parts of Brooklyn in 2010–11, based on a drawing by Daniel Rosza Lang/Levisky. The work honors queer traditions such as the AIDS Memorial Quilt (1987–ongoing), a large-scale textile project that eulogizes those who have died from AIDS, and activist collectives such as ACT UP, Queer Nation, and Gran Fury. Incorporating the aesthetics of punk and DIY visual culture, Roberts collaborated with the artist Buzz Slutzky to represent each house with a crest. Eight years after this work was made, Brooklyn continues to be a thriving center for LGBTQ+ artists and others from around the world to gather and build community.
Now in its final days, see works by LJ Roberts and 27 other LGBTQ+ artists in Nobody Promised You Tomorrow before it closes on December 8.
Posted Yiran Chi LJ Roberts (Royal Oak, Michigan, Born 1980). The Queer Houses of Brooklyn in the Three Towns of Breukelen, Boswyck, and Midwout during the 41st Year of the Stonewall Era (based on a 2010 drawing by Daniel Rosza Lang/Levitsky with 24 illustrations by Buzz Slutzky on printed pin-back buttons), 2011. Poly-fill, acrylic, rayon, Lurex, wool, polyester, cotton, lamé, sequins, blended fabrics, printed pin-back buttons. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Gift of Elaine Reuben. Installation shots by Jonathan Dorado.