QUEER ART IN THE BIG SMOKE

BY MARTIN PERRY

It's a good time for queer art in London, with two very different shows for you aficionados out there: HUNG, an exhibition of edgy erotic photography, drawings and video put together by the talented, young queer artist/curator Stuart Sandford at the Horse Hospital, and TRADEMARK/SCENE: A-Listers, Heros and Heroines at La Galleriea - a collection of new paintings by artist Mark Wardel, featuring portraits of gay icons including Grace Jones, Boy George and Out There's very own Paul Burston.

HUNG is a fascinating look into Stuart's up-front obsession with all things homoerotic, bringing together work by queer art stalwarts like as Bruce La Bruce with a crop of new international talent and raft of artists in between. All of whom deal with issues surrounding sex and men in their own way.

Notable examples include a series of small photographs by Jesse Finley Reed of young men whose bare flesh have been painted to resemble ripped, muscular torsos; that have the confusing effect of making the photographs themselves seem like paintings, plus a wonderful series of prints of naked boys in various states on undress printed onto newspaper by New York based Russian artist Slava Mogutin. And not to mention a couple of mixed media, poster sized pieces by Brian Kenny on vintage American shooting-target paper. But the highlight for me was the striking black and white 'Pin-up' by one of my all-time favourite artists, Paul Mpagi Sepuya. (Look out for our exclusive interview with Paul in Issue 2, out in just a few weeks).

The dungeonesque Horse Hospital seems a fitting venue for such an orgiastic collection. If you like your art gritty and queer and you're in need of an artistic or erotic pick-me-up during these damp cold dark days, then this exhibition is definitely worth a detour to Russell Square. Although it includes some 30 odd individual pieces by 11 artists, it's small enough to whizz around in your lunch hour or on your way home from work.

HUNG runs until 30th October at The Horse Hospital Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD.

At the other end of the spectrum, and decidedly more glam Trademark/Scene is the latest collection of paintings by the established Liverpudlian artist Mark Wardel, famed for his work for the original legendary Trade flyers and QX covers. Mark's sharp graphical style is instantly recognisable to any of us old enough to remember clubbing in London in the 90s. The show runs from the 1st to the 7th November at La Galleria, 30 Opera Arcade, Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 4UY trademarkart.com