June is here. A time to proudly celebrate and acknowledge inclusivity, equal rights, and queer culture. It also means that summer is upon us!
The mission of Bader + Simon is to amplify voices that are frequently silenced. Therefore, we have put together a summertime guide that allows these voices to be heard, starting with Mario Elias, who curated our current exhibition,
Let us know your favorites and feel free to add to them!
Exhibitions
Devoted: Queer Love and Other Offerings Bader + Simon. Online
Our current exhibition is a refusal to be hidden. Curated by the formidable Mario Elias, the show is a rhythmic dialogue between the erotic and the sacred, the communal and the solitary.
Rocio Garcia: The Object of Power is Power.
Leslie Lohman Museum. NYC. Through September 20, 2026.
The figures she renders in The Object of Power is Power exist at the margins of society and the imagination, caught within existential, seemingly irresolvable situations that darkly mirror systems of authority. Within them, her work creates spaces for humor and the imagined collapse of entrenched power structures.
Live Arts 2026 Pride Exhibition
Live Arts has proudly invited artists Lola Flash and Beau McCall to anchor the group exhibition. Together, these prolific trailblazers reflect on the traits that queer artists have cultivated for generations. Flash's self-portraits suspecd nature and meory in a multi-dimensional contemplation, while McCall's work shows the celebration into the socially conscious 1972 song by The Staple Singers, We The People.
Literature
How could we not start the list with Beloved Disciples by Mario Elias? Mario's newly released novel extends the same devotional and defiant terrain that animates "Devoted." A multidisciplinary force of Cuban and Syrian descent, Mario turns to fiction, tracing a haunting gay love story shaped by memory, grief, and first desire. Through Simón’s bond with Albi, the novel moves between the erotic and the sacred, the inherited and the invented, asking what it means to remain faithful to love after loss. It is a book that transforms remembrance into an active, urgent practice.
The Lesbian Bar by Rachel Karp
Released this month, Rachel Karp’s journey is an essential summer read. It is a meticulous mapping of our sacred social spaces. Karp treats the "dive bar" not as a place of vice, but as a site of political resistance and communal joy. It’s the perfect companion for a late afternoon on a sun-drenched patio.
Is This a Cry For Help? by Emily Austin
For those seeking a narrative that balances the weight of identity with the levity of modern existence, Emily Austin’s latest novel is a masterpiece of intersectional storytelling. It explores the complexities of mental health within the queer experience, reminding us that our vulnerability is, in itself, a form of strength.
The Cinematic Gaze
Peter Hujar's Day (2025): Directed by Ira Sachs, this intimate film is a poetic time capsule that recreates a single December day in 1974. Based on a verbatim transcript of a conversation between the legendary photographer Peter Hujar, played by Ben Whishaw, and writer Linda Rosenkrantz, played by Rebecca Hall, it is a masterclass in the queer gaze. The film eschews traditional plot for a profound, quiet exploration of Hujar’s world: his artistic anxieties, his relationships with figures like Susan Sontag and Allen Ginsberg, and the mundane beauty of downtown New York. It is a film about the texture of an artist’s life and the radical act of simply being present.
Rafiki (2018): Directed by Wanuri Kahiu, this film is a burst of "Afrobubblegum" energy. Its use of saturated pinks and purples isn't just an aesthetic choice; it’s a political one. It challenges the "tragic queer" trope by centering joy and vibrant connection in a landscape where such love is often suppressed.
Moonlight (2016): A triptych of yearning and surrogacy. Barry Jenkins’s masterpiece remains one of the most significant pieces of visual activism in recent history. The way the camera lingers on skin, the way it captures the silence of the Atlantic: it is a lesson in the sacredness of the Black queer body.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019): This film is a direct dialogue with Mario Elias’s work. It examines the "female gaze" and the "queer gaze" with a precision that is both academic and deeply emotional. It asks: what does it mean to truly see the person you love, and what do we sacrifice to preserve that image in our memory?
This summer, I encourage you to be unapologetic in your consumption of culture. Seek out the voices that make you feel seen, and support the artists who are brave enough to put their true selves in public view.
We are just getting started and intend to keep supporting the voices that must be heard. Stay tuned.... we will be opening our physical gallery in the fall and cannot wait to share space with you!
-trw