The Objective
This exhibition documents an unfolding story of discovery as I learnt about queerness in Croydon. Being seen is an acknowledgement of existence and through the process of ‘coming out’ we let people know that we exist and we are not ashamed.
Being visible with others creates supportive environments that helps to empower those who are frightened to reveal their true selves. Being visible commands respect, it forces society to question discriminatory social norms and instigates major political change.
In this project I look at examples of queer visibility in the borough of Croydon by creating a Queer Archive of gathered stories, objects, images and videos from a diverse group of local people. These new donations will be added to the Archive and Museum of Croydon in an effort to address the gaps concerning sexual identities and race in the current collection.
Due to COVID-19, the collecting portion of this project occurred during Lockdown 2020, a time when we could not gather to attend visibility events like Pride and LGBT History Month. The collection is nostalgic and represents a period of reflection for the LGBT+ community, to understand our place in the world and our new priorities as we slowly recover, readying ourselves to enter a post-Covid era.
Meet The Artist
Mark Goldby is a multidisciplinary artist with a Masters in Fine Arts from Wimbledon College of Art. Mark’s connection with Croydon began in 2017 with an artist residency programme at First Floor Space, based at the Croydon Arts Store inside The Whitgift Centre. It concluded with an exhibition in the LOFT gallery and following this, he began working with the Museum of Croydon as an artist in residence, exploring creative ways to activate the archive.
This led to Mark designing and curating the group exhibition ‘Bold.’. at the Croydon Clocktower in 2019. Queer+ Croydon is the result of Mark’s successful bid for What’s Your Croydon? 2020 programme, discovering Croydon’s LGBT+ history through the Museum’s collection. This exhibition is an exploration of Mark’s research, as written in his own words.
Click below to see Mark’s art process