From May 15, the GLBT Historical Society Museum is hosting Éamon McGivern’s A/History, which presents new paintings by San Francisco-based artist Éamon McGivern.
Rooted in a philosophy of portraiture that embraces empathy as a creative act, A/History draws from McGivern’s personal memory and research in the GLBT Historical Society archives. The resulting portraits reflect on the lives and legacies of queer and trans elders whose absence — from political violence, transphobia, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic — continues to shape contemporary life. Through painterly interpretation and archival reference, the exhibition invites reflection on memory, representation, and the multifaceted nature of human identity.
Éamon McGivern is an artist from San Francisco who has spent the past seven years in the Bay Area painting portraits of queers, punks, and poets. More recently, he has been delving into the archives of 20th-century LGBTQ history, picking up strands from holes in the historical narratives in attempts to darn the tears between the past and present wrought by political oppression, transphobia, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. His work feels into the sorrow born from the absence of the queer and trans people who would have been the teachers, mentors, parents, and grandparents of his generation—and the effect their deaths have on contemporary life.
Come experience this powerful new work at the intersection of art, memory, and community.
GLBT Historical Society Museum is located at 4127 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. For more information, call (415) 777-5455 or visit HERE.
