QUEER TODAY GONE TOMORROW
THE LOST AND LOVED VENUES OF GAY LONDON
A SOLO ART EXHIBITION BY RECOGNITION
26TH JUNE - 6TH JULY 2025 12-6pm, PRIVATE VIEW: 3RD JULY 6-9pm
VELOROSE GALLERY, BARBICAN, LONDON EC1M 6EE
From Soho bars and club basements to forgotten meeting spots and sweaty dancefloors, QUEER TODAY, GONE TOMORROW celebrates the venues that have shaped—and still sustain—London’s gay community.
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These buildings aren’t just brick and steel. They are full of life. They hold the laughter, the resistance, the romance, and the stories of generations of gay men and queer people who made them into sanctuaries, battlegrounds, and homes.
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In this powerful debut solo show, the artist RECOGNITION invites you on a visual journey through London’s rich queer geography—both iconic and overlooked. Using bold abstract mapping and symbolic forms, each painting and print honours the personal and collective memories that breathe meaning into our most beloved spaces.​
​RECOGNITION’s distinctive style—described as “quiet puzzles”—explores how our emotional connections shape what we see as familiar. The work blends science and feeling, memory and design, to test our personal connections to spaces of significance.
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QUEER TODAY, GONE TOMORROW is a celebration of legacy—but also a reminder. As queer venues disappear under the pressure of redevelopment and gentrification - over 50% of London's LGBTQ+ spaces have vanished since 2005 - this exhibition urges us to remember, reflect, and reclaim. It’s a tribute to the places we found freedom, found each other, and found ourselves.
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​​​Sign up HERE to the Private View at Velorose Gallery from 6pm on Thursday the 3rd July,
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Follow @RECOGNITION.ART for exclusive artworks, show updates and behind the scenes footage.
RECOGNITION is proud to partner with LGBTQIA+ charity Switchboard for the exhibition.
Please get in touch via the CONTACT PAGE, or reach out to Velorose Gallery if you have any questions.
VELOROSE GALLERY 1B Charterhouse Square, Barbican, EC1M 6EE
For some more info about my work and the artistic intention behind RECOGNITION, here's a few resources to browse
Click the video to watch RECOGNITION talk in depth about all of the above