Artists will be painting pink triangles on Southwark Street for Pride next month, as part of efforts to reclaim a Nazi symbol that was used to demonise gay people.
London artists the Fandangoe Kid Studios will be hand-painting the triangles on the pavement, planters and benches on the Hope Exchange, a pedestrian area at the junction of Southwark Street and Thrale Street. Work begins next Monday (June 27) and will finish on Friday, July 8.
The pink triangle was one of the homophobic symbols used in Nazi concentration camps to show that a prisoner was gay. From the 1970s onwards, various support groups have used the pink triangle as a symbol of LGBT pride.
Better Bankside, the local business group organising the project as part of this year’s 50th anniversary Pride celebrations, said that “throughout history Bankside has been known as an area where differences are celebrated,” citing male actors playing female roles – the first ‘drag queens’ – as an example.
Annie from The Fandangoe Kid Studios said: “The pink triangle used here in the Hope Exchange, is both a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community’s strength and unity while reminding us all of the struggle to get here – a nod to a hopeful future, minds open.”
Other Pride celebrations organised by Better Bankside include a free exhibition of photos by Eve Milner, who lives locally. The photos are of notable LGBT people who live and work in the area, featuring Southwark Council’s very own Cllr Victor Chamberlain, among others. The exhibition starts on Wednesday (June 29) in the Omeara venue on O’Meara Street and lasts one month.
The group is also putting on a guided tour of the area on July 2 called the Queer History of Bankside, which will feature the Liberty of the Clink and the Crossbones Graveyard.
https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/giant-gay-butterflies-to-host-day-of-latin-american-music-for-this-years-pride-in-london/
Nicole Gordon, CEO of Better Bankside said: “For Pride 2022 we are excited to present the Faces of Bankside exhibition, unveil a new public art installation featuring the symbolic pink triangle, and launch our area-wide Inclusion Network.
“There is always more to be done and we are committed to continually looking hard at how we can improve and evolve our programme with a lens on inclusivity.”
The Faces of Bankside exhibition
Dates: June 29-July 31
Location: Omeara, 6 O’Meara Street London SE1 1TE
The Queer History of Bankside walk
Date: July 2, 1-2pm
Start location: Better Bankside Space, 18 Great Guildford Street, London, SE1 0FD