AIRIE Fellow
Lola Flash
2022 October
Photography
New York, NY
Working at the forefront of genderqueer visual politics for more than three decades, Lola Flash’s photography challenges stereotypes and gender, sexual and racial preconceptions. Their art and activism are profoundly connected, fueling a life-long commitment to visibility and preserving the legacy of LGBTQIA+ and communities of color worldwide through a practice firmly rooted in social justice advocacy around sexual, racial and cultural differences. Lola received her bachelor's degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art and their Master’s degree from the London College of Printing. In 2008, they were a resident at Light Work, and in 2015, they participated at Alice Yard, in Trinidad. In 2019, they were a resident at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. Flash’s work is included in public collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art and MoMA. Pen + Brush Gallery’s inaugural exhibition for 2018, featured a 30-year retrospective of their significant photographs.
BIO
About their piece Land of the FREE? - Home of the BRAVE, 2022, from Passages at the Nest
“In order to make the outdoors a space of belonging, we need to visualize a holistic approach to understanding historical narratives. The Seminole culture, as well as many of the ancient African tribes, centered land as an important part of their fabric. The Land was not only part of their daily survival needs but was an intrinsic part of their lives. They listened to the wind and honored the moon and sun. Water is also integral to the sustainability of this ecosystem. Sadly, unlike today, where land and water serve as a commodity that propagates corporate greed. My ongoing series, "syzygy, the vision" is the perfect vehicle to reimagine such sacred grounds, as the Everglades. By engendering the space with my Black body, I will find a sense of peace and belonging, where we not only belong but thrive.”