Explore the Archive - LGBTQ+
To coincide with Donna Gottschalk and Hélène Giannecchini's We Others explore past exhibitions showcasing LGBTQ+ photographers and photography.
View LGBTQ+ Collection
How have queer photographers seen things differently? What does a queer gaze look like?
Spanning five weeks, this course considers queer histories of image-making through the lens of revolutionary photographers, artists and filmmakers. Together, we will explore the politics of queer representation, how photographing queer subcultures, communities, pleasure, pain and protest can challenge dominant narratives, and the role of archives in telling queer stories — what can images from the past tell us about what is happening now?
We will look at the perspectives and work of artists including Ajamu X, Del La Grace Volcano, Nan Goldin, Kiss & Tell, Lola Flash, Catherine Opie, Charan Singh and Rene Matić, among others. This course will also explore the work of photographer Donna Gottschalk and writer Hélène Giannecchini, whose work will be presented at The Photographer’s Gallery between March and June 2026.
This course is led by author and arts writer Amelia Abraham.
Format
Each session takes place weekly online using Zoom. Sessions include a blend of lectures, group discussion, and guest contributions from photographers and artists. Any presentations and/or resources will be made available online where possible and accessible via Shared Folders.
Who is this for?
This course is open to all interested in photography and those who want to explore queer visual culture through written or visual forms. While the subject matter focuses on queer and trans representation, this conversation sits at the intersection of many different identities and expressions. Content notices are given on the themes and artworks throughout so participants can make informed decisions on access for their wellness.
Schedule
Session 1 | Exposure vs Overexposure: Photographing Queer Subcultures on Wed 8 Apr at 18.30-20.00 BST
Following group introductions, this session will explore ideas around visibility and invisibility, the meaning of ‘by us for us’, and the importance versus risks that come with photographing queer communities, subcultures, and movements.
Session 2 | The Erotic Gaze: Pleasure, Voyeurism and Sexual Politics on Wed 15 Apr at 18.30-20.00 BST
How do we define art and erotica? Looking at taboo-breaking photographers who have explored queer pleasure, in this session we’ll talk about respectability politics, eroticism and the darkroom, with a focus on Del LaGrace Volcano, Ajamu X and Kiss & Tell.
Session 3 | Dispatches from the Dancefloor: Guest speaker Christa Holka on Wed 22 Apr at 18.30-20.00 BST
Join guest speaker Christa Holka as she dives into her archive of queer nightlife, performance and portrait photography, from Chicago’s drag king scene to East London club culture.
Session 4 | Addressing AIDS and Photographing to Remember on Wed 29 Apr at 18.30-20.00 BST
This week we will look at the role of photography during the AIDS crisis, to document, raise awareness, and hold onto or commemorate loved ones. We’ll talk about the work of Nan Goldin, Gideon Mendell and Bill Howard, plus the organisation Visual AIDS.
Session 5 | Activating the Archive on Wed 6 May at 18.30-20.00 BST
How do we look at images from the past? What do we do with them? What exciting projects can inspire us to dig into the archive? Hear about how archives are formed, both analogue and digital, as well as recent projects that have interpreted historic queer archives for new audiences. Featuring artist and filmmaker Topher Campbell.
Biographies
Amelia Abraham (b 1991) is a journalist, editor and author from London. She writes for Art Review, The Guardian, British Journal of Photography, The Observer, Dazed, AnOther, and other titles on arts, culture and more. Her books include Queer Intentions: A (Personal) Journey Through LGBTQ+ Culture and We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights. Her first edited photography book, Sex, Clubs, Dissent: Visualising Queer Nightlife will be published in Spring 2026 by MACK Books and is a 200+ image survey on the history of imaging queer nightlife. As well as regularly interviewing queer writers and artists at venues like The Southbank Centre, Barbican and London Review of Books, she has previously lectured at London College of Fashion, Roehampton University and Warwick University.
Afro-Queer Artist/filmmaker Topher Campbell’s output spans film, theatre, performance, writing and site-specific work. He makes bold and exciting work focusing on sexuality, masculinity, race, human rights, memoir and climate change. Alumni of the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme, in 2005 he was recipient of the Jerwood Directors Award and nominated for the 2011 What’s On Stage Theatre Event of the Year Award.
In 2017 he was longlisted for the inaugural Spread the Word Life Writing Prize for his forthcoming memoir Battyman. In 2000 he co-founded rukus! Federation a Black Queer arts collective with photographer Ajamu X. This culminated in the internationally recognised rukus! Archive currently held in the London Metropolitan Archives. The rukus! Archive won the 2008 Landmark Archive Award. His theatre workHis films have appeared in festivals worldwide including his first film The Homecoming - a meditation on art, masculinity and sexuality, featuring commentary by Stuart Hall. His film FETISH, a collaboration with 2014 Mercury Music Prize Winners Young Fathers, is shot on the streets of New York. It was premiered at the Barbican Centre, London, Official Selection for the 2018 Aesthetica Short Film Festival and 2018 Scottish Queer International Film Festival and 2021 Sheffield DocFEST.
Topher is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Patron of Switchboard and in 2017 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Sussex for his work in the Black LGBTQ+ community. He has directed productions and films for Mountview Academy, Central School of Speech and Drama, Guildhall School of Music and ArtsEd. His latest film, Moments That Shaped Queer Black Britain is a documentary about UK Black Queer history and culture for B.E.T./Paramount streaming now in the UK.
Christa Holka is a queer portrait and performance photographer based in London. Christa regularly photographs artists, authors, academics, musicians, curators and art world leaders. Christa's work engages with intersectionality, marginalisation and the ethics of inclusivity. Their main motivation is to promote, elevate and showcase the communities, organisations, events, art, artists, they photograph, with the intention of creating images in which people feel seen.
They have collaborated with leading institutions such as Tate Modern, ICA London, Museum of London, Somerset House, Whitechapel Gallery, Gasworks, ArtAngel, and the Barbican, and their work has appeared in ArtForum, Art Review, British Vogue, Frieze Magazine, HTSI/Financial Times, Ocado Life Magazine, Vogue Mexico, The Guardian, The Stage and Time Magazine.
Bursaries
A number of partial bursaries covering 50 per cent of course fees will be awarded on a first come basis. Applicants who wish to be considered for a partial bursary should submit a statement (max. 500 words) to projects@tpg.org.uk, outlining how the course Queer Practices in Image-Making would contribute to their professional development. Successful applicants will be notified within a week of submission.
We actively encourage applications from groups who are currently underrepresented in the cultural sector in the UK. This includes people who identify as D/deaf, disabled* and neurodivergent; those with caring responsibilities; candidates from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds; and arts and culture professionals desiring career development, prioritising independent artists, freelancers and those made redundant/at risk of redundancy since 2020.
*The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Sharing that you are disabled will not be used in any way in judging the quality of your application.
Details on how to access this event will be confirmed upon registration. Please check your junk folders if you haven't received an email from TPG staff confirming your place.
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