Paintings by Worcester students and staff are currently on display at Southampton City Art Gallery as part of an exhibition celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

Invisible Portraits is an exhibition by artist Lucy Ash featuring a series of abstract portraits which celebrate the diversity, bravery and forgotten figures of LGBTQ+ history. Earlier this year, several members of the Worcester community participated in an initiative organised by Lucy which is now on display in the exhibition. Presented with a small canvas, each participant was asked to paint a portrait of an LGBTQ+ person they found inspiring; the resulting portraits have been combined into two large artworks, each comprising 323 individual canvases. These artworks are designed to reinforce the message that LGBTQ+ progress is a collective effort, with the idea inspired by Lucy’s practice of painting a small section of a large artwork each day.

The exhibition is open at Southampton City Art Gallery until 14th January 2023.

Image by Joe Low.