Design Dysphoria
“We make and are made by our own spaces” - Aaron Betsky
The queer community is intimately intertwined with the environments it constructs and inhabits. There is an opportunity to establish new places that prioritize queer voices and camaraderie. What is the significance of being a LGBTQIA+ designer in a world that is just beginning to integrate queerness into its common milieu?
The exhibition, Design Dysphoria, co-curated by designers and founders of Studio S II, Erica
Sellers and Jeremy Silberberg, along with textile artist Liz Collins and interdisciplinary glass
and performance artist Grace Whiteside, emphasized the critical importance of queer creative
spaces.
Running from May 17th to May 24th, 2024, at Studio S II’s headquarters in Bushwick, Brooklyn
during NYCxDesign Week, the show featured 17 designers, predominantly women, non-binary, and trans individuals. The exhibition showcased an array of works including furniture, glass lighting fixtures, textile artwork, and interactive design objects, all aimed at fostering connections and a sense of belonging within the LGBTQIA+ community. The show was structured as a series of vignettes, each displaying unique works that challenged traditional design boundaries. These pieces were not just aesthetic objects but were imbued with the spirit of queerness, blending functionality with identity and expression.
Featured Artists:
STUDIO S II
YOLANDE MILAN BATTEAU
VIVIAN CHIU
LIZ COLLINS
PAMELA COUNCIL
DEBORAH CZERESKO
POPPY DELTADAWN
NIMA JEIZAN
KIRA KECK
FAWN KRIEGER
LARRY KRONE
JEREMY MARTIN
ZANDER SCHLACTER
ZEV SCHWARTZ
ZHI WEI
GRACE WHITESIDE
FO WILSON