Trigonal Gallery Celebrates Pride with TV's Darrell Thorne, The Sucklord and LGBTQ+ Artists
“There’s nothing stopping you from being the unicorn of your dreams,” says artist, performer and sculptor Darrell Thorne. Best known for his work on RuPaul’s Drag Race and HBO’s High Maintenance. Thorne understands better than anyone how to embody the fantasies that spring from his authentic self, which many in the LGBTQ+ community will tell you is what Pride is all about. All throughout Pride Month 2021, Thorne is bringing his unique sculptures and makeup/body paint creations to life as he headlines the Pride exhibit hosted by the innovative Trigonal Gallery, which hosts a physical opening in Brooklyn on Saturday June 5th and Sunday June 6th before its move to Jersey City, New Jersey and official opening to the public Monday June 7th.
A gallery focused on emerging and digital artists, Trigonal has been producing eye-popping exhibits that push the boundaries of the art industry as we know it. From intricate collage work to pioneering cryptocurrency through original NFT (non-fungible token) creations, the gallery has empowered artists to find their footing in a shifting culture and take back their power.
The Pride show is no different, as it aims to shed light on the most distinctive LGBTQ+ and allied artists working in multidisciplinary mediums today. One such ally, The Sucklord, is a pop artist who made his name on reality TV series such as VH1’s Can’t Get a Date and Bravo’s Work of Art. Over the past two decades The Sucklord has come into his own by crafting unlicensed action figures and toys, particularly those based on Star Wars collectibles, through his company Suckadelic. Viewers of Trigonal’s Pride show can expect to see truly original Suckadelic action figures that have never before been released.
Pride offers a plethora of delights, which can be seen through Trigonal's digital show on Artsy. Thorne’s acclaimed headpieces are a definite draw, the likes of which have been seen not only on Yvie Oddly’s winning look during Season 11 of Drag Race, but also on Madonna in her “Living for Love” video and most recently on “Queen Diva” Big Freedia for the cover of Bust Magazine. The artist’s creative approach to transformation encourages audiences to question their ideas of beauty, as well as their perspectives on gende fluidity and what signifies masculinity and femininity. Also on digital display in the exhibit’s virtual show is work from British-born Stuart Sandford, whose pieces have been exhibited around the world for shows including Out-Spoken: 50 Years of Pride at Childs Gallery in Boston; multiple Queer Biennals in Los Angeles; and Boys! Boys! Boys! in London and Amsterdam, as well as collections such as the Sir Elton John Photography Collection.
Award-winning filmmaker Ryan Glista joins the lineup with his photography and collage art, reminiscent of Sally Mann’s Immediate Family series. Photographer Adam Ciach shares his work from Eastern Europe’s burgeoning LGBTQ+ movement.
Trigonal founder Jonathan Edward Goodman says, “This show is not only important due to its context and comment in the art world. It is also an experiment on what it means to have a physical art show in a post-pandemic world.”
For those based in the Greater New York tri-state area, Pride’s physical opening will take place Saturday June 5th and Sunday June 6th at 37 Troutman Street in Brooklyn, hosted by Brooklyn Collage Collective founder Morgan Jesse Lappin. Running from 11AM to 8PM EST, the live event will be ticketed and timed for attendees. Some artists will be present throughout the weekend. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
On Monday, June 7th the physical show will move to Strictly CBD at 394 Communipaw Ave in Jersey City, New Jersey, where it will open to the general public and remain throughout the month. Strictly CBD, founded by Jeffrey Devine, is one of New Jersey’s most pioneering CBD and hemp retail stores.
That evening, Trigonal will host an online Zoom open house with all of the artists at 8PM EST. Viewers can access this event via the Trigonal Facebook page as well as Trigonal’s weekly artist interview show The Art of Art Business via YouTube and Twitch.
Provocative, ethereal, sensual, transformative – the art in Trigonal’s Pride embodies all this and more. Open your eyes to these unique creations, and you might discover your own inner unicorn. Let the journey begin.
Learn more at artsy.net/show/trigonal-pride or @TrigonalGallery on social media. To get tickets to the Brooklyn opening on Saturday June 5th and Sunday June 6th, visit Eventbrite here.
For more on Strictly CBD (394 Communipaw Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey 07304), visit strictlycbdjc.com.