Channel 4’s Random Acts has partnered with Tate to present six films in response to their new exhibition, Queer British Art 1861-1967. The captivating short films provide glimpses into LGBTQ lives through intimate portraits of six individuals, using differing styles of storytelling, with each queer filmmaker bringing their own creative approach.
The third instalment in the series, produced by Prettybird UK, is directed by Matt Lambert and features avant-garde performance artist David Hoyle, recounting his first time attending a gay club – transcending boundaries as he enters the ‘forbidden world’ denied to him through his religious upbringing. He revels in this safe space, shrouded in hues of purples and pinks: a hedonistic escape.
“David has been someone that I’ve been fascinated with for years since I first saw his tour in London as Divine David,” says Lambert, who has a knack for capturing the intimacy and freedom found within LGBTQ+ communities and has directed videos for Declan McKenna, Gucci and Years & Years. “We first met through James Jeanette when I asked him to make a cameo in a music video I made for Declan McKenna. Our connection grew when I recently made a video for his husband, Christeene, in collaboration with Rick Owens. David has also been a muse for Rick and even wears a custom piece by him in the video. It was an honour to pay tribute to one of our queer prophets whom the community holds in such high regard, but has gone relatively unsung to the masses.”
Tate Britain’s latest exhibition, Queer British Art 1861–1967, features works from 1861–1967 relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) identities, and marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in the UK. The show explores how artists expressed themselves in a time when established assumptions about gender and sexuality were being questioned and transformed.
Queer British Art 1861-1967 is on at Tate Britain until October 1st. More information and tickets HERE.