September 2007

Dehiscence: the art of Matt Wencl

After large back to back group shows featuring a wide variety of talented local LGBTQ artists, QArts, the arts committee of the Seattle LGBT Community Center, is pleased to be able to focus on the work of noted local artist Matt Wencl in a breathtaking one man show of his mixed media pieces that combine a variety of techniques and mediums into works of arresting beauty and complexity.

Matt Wencl's first exhibited visual work, a collage of drawings and pastels, was at the Seattle LGBT Community Center/QArts "Portraits of Pride" show in June of 2004, an annual show he has participated in for the last three years. In September 2005 he exhibited 40 of his transparent greeting cards, featuring his light photography, at Presence on 15^th Street (since relocated to Broadway). For his September show at the LGBT Center you'll see a display of his creative exploration with the medium of resin. Combining photography, drawings, and collages printed on transparencies with found objects, mints, and dye, he creates wall sculptures and pictures that capture light as much as reflect it. The title of the show, "Dehiscence," is defined as "a spontaneous bursting open at maturity of a seed pod or organ or a sudden opening of anything…" Matt chose this title in reference to similar themes that appear in his own work; his created images resemble the seeds, pods, or openings of nature rendered in various colorful and resinous incarnations.

August 2007

Q Arts has joined forces with Trikone Northwest, the support group for the South Asian LGBTQ community featuring photography, painting and sculptural works by a diverse array of local artists.

Trikone Northwest was founded 10 years and is a sister to the original Trikone group founded in San Francisco. Originally started as a social and networking group, the organization has added educational, supportive and political components to the mission statement of the group in its efforts to create a positive space for differently oriented South Asians, their friends, families and supporters. Co-founder and photographer Mala Nagarajan will be one of the artists displaying their work this month, as well as fellow photographer Meena Fatimi, painter Neelu Bhuman, sculptor/multi-media artist, Jyot Singh and others to be announced.

June 2007

Featuring the work of: Chris Rollins, Mike Curato, Cody Blomberg, loti, John Tozzi, Holly Senn, Thomas Wurst, Tennessee Loveless, Michael Strangeways & Matt Wencl plus many more!

For the fourth year in a row, QArts and the Seattle LGBT Community Center are happy to present, Portraits of Pride the annual June show dedicated to showcasing the works of local LGBTQ artists during Pride Month. This year the artists were asked to create self-portraits, a favorite theme of artist, curator and co-founder of Portraits of Pride, Cody Blomberg, who calls self-portraiture ‘as intimate as a journal entry or as brash as a page out of a glossy rag. Either way, the pieces are… a glimpse into the soul of the artist…’