The writing is on the wall: Affect and conscientisation in thequeer & trans Art-iculationsTalk-back Station

Abstract

queer & trans Art-iculations: Collaborative Art for Social Change, as an exhibition, opened up a public space for critical engagement with the idea of the gender binary and the lives of people who do not conform to heteropatriarchal social norms and expectations. Coordinated by the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies (WiCDS) and hosted by the Wits Art Museum (WAM), a primary agenda was to exhibit the work of two self-proclaimed art activists, Zanele Muholi and Gabrielle Le Roux, in order to create awareness around the discrimination of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities. Art activism being the goal, it was necessary to provide a platform whereby audiences could contemplate and then respond to the information provided by Muholi and Le Roux. An audience Talk-back Station, or Comments Wall, created by WAM Education Curator Leigh Blanckenberg and WiCDS Research Coordinator Haley McEwen, where visitors could respond to prompting questions, ask their own questions, or respond in creative ways was constructed in the gallery space to complement the exhibition and provide space for visitor dialogue with the joint-exhibition. The intention of the wall was for multiple views, opinions and experiences to be expressed and heard. This Article will examine visitor engagement with the Comments Wall, and through an evaluation of the responses, will consider how, if at all, the exhibition impacted on visitors in terms of its ability to promote critical awareness of gender and sexuality as social justice issues.

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