ARCANUM exhibition curated by Anthony Rosado

The exhibition curated by Visual AIDS artist member Anthony Rosado features new and ongoing work by the graduating Fellows of the organization’s celebrated Queer|Art|Mentorship (QAM) program (now entering its 10th year) and comprises interactive multimedia installations and events focused on revitalizing the intergenerational and interdisciplinary art of storytelling. Combining both digital components and public interventions throughout New York City, the sprawling exhibition includes a virtual gallery with game-like installations, extending into the public realm via window altars, wheatpasted posters, performances, live screenings, and tours. ARCANUM is curated by Anthonywash.Rosado, and includes work by: Brian Gonzalez, Patrick G. Lee, María José Maldonado, Felli Maynard, Olaiya Olayemi, Sarah Sanders, and Sarah Zapata.

The term "arcanum" has two meanings: 1) specialized knowledge shared with those willing, and 2) an intoxicating elixir or liquid capable of transforming base metals into gold. In naming the Queer|Art|Mentorship Annual Exhibition ARCANUM, the Fellows invite viewers to engage with diverse forms of storytelling, accessing both contemporary narratives and lineages of queer ancestral knowledge. Among the constellations of creative disciplines assembled within ARCANUM, viewers will discover a rich tapestry of TLGBQ+ and BIPoC storytelling technologies, and critical methods for understanding one’s own histories. By encouraging visitors to determine their own experience, ARCANUM aims to initiate a symbiotic relationship between art and viewer.

The centerpiece of ARCANUM is a virtual gallery, hosted on the Queer|Art website for the duration of the exhibition. Entering the website, visitors will find the traditional gallery format has been alchemized into a cosmic dreamscape, complete with seven orbiting planets uniquely constructed by the Fellows. Within these self-contained worlds, each Fellow offers their own stories as told through their chosen media. At the nucleus of the exhibition’s virtual galaxy is the Ofrenda (Altar) to Queer Ancestor Artists, which features artworks by Afro-diasporic and Queer ancestors assembled in collaboration with VisualAIDS, The LGBT Community Center, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.