Aaron Wilder, Invisible Self Portrait: On Shapeshifting and Privilege (detail), 2025, Digital Video with Sound

July 30-August 30, 2026
Opening Reception: Thursday June 4, 2026, 5:00pm-7:00pm

 

Bronx River Art Center
1087 East Tremont Avenue
Bronx, NY 10460

Curated by James Horner, Persona / Non Personais a dynamic group exhibition by the queer art collective, Magenta Lounge. 

The exhibition brings together the work of eleven LGBTQ+ artists whose paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos, and multidisciplinary works reflect on queer identity, self-discovery, and the beauty of individuality. Through diverse creative practices, the artists explore the complexities of personal expression, belonging, and the ongoing process of self-recognition.

Growing up can be challenging for anyone. Our sense of self is shaped by childhood experiences, emerging sexuality, memories, and the dynamics of family and community. For those who are gay, lesbian, transgender, or other queer identities – this journey often includes additional obstacles – including struggles for visibility, fear of rejection, body image concerns, religious pressures, addiction, and conflicts with societal expectations. Together, the artworks in this exhibition offer nuanced reflections on these experiences, illuminating both the difficulties and the resilience that accompany the formation of queer identity.

Work from Aaron Wilder's Invisible Self Portrait project is included in the exhibition. This video essay animates a single photograph of Wilder's reflection in an airplane seatback screen, gradually shifting from negative to positive space across the grayscale spectrum. Accompanied by a self-dialogue informed by the writings of Swiss psychologist Alice Miller, the work inhabits the threshold between visibility and disappearance. The image becomes a metaphorical edge where queer identity, memory, and privilege are continuously negotiated within the uncertain terrain of self-recognition.