A colour photograph shows a black person. They have curly hair styled in a bob and are wearing a necklace and earings made from coloured pencil segments, and a dress with a green and yellow floral pattern. They have their nose piereced and visible armpit hair. Their right eye is half obscured by shadow.

Jesse Glazzard, Ella (from LGBT+ Letters), 2018-2019. Courtesy the artist.

Jesse Glazzard, LGBT+ Letters, 2018-19

Artist: Jesse Glazzard

Title: LGBT+ Letters

Year: 2018-19

Medium: Series, Film Photographs accompanied by letters from the subjects.

Dimensions:

Photographs: W: 59.4 cm, H:8 4.1 cm, each accompanied by an A4 letter.

Accession Number:

Acquisition info:

Jesse’s own coming-out at secondary school was fraught with the fear, and harsh reality, of violent backlash. But it was also hampered by what Glazzard saw as a complete lack of queer visibility. He had simply no experience of how to become queer. Glazzard’s first cultural experience of queer romance was of a single ‘chaste, lesbian kiss’ on the popular soap opera EastEnders at the age of 9.

While LGBTQI representation in popular culture has improved, Glazzard describes still seeing many stale stereotypes, which this photographic work seeks to rectify. LGBT+ Letters is an attempt at providing, through portraits and texts, queer aesthetics for people who find themselves without meaningful representation in the world. In the photography series, Glazzard demonstrates a lack of self-indulgence rather a strong belief in accommodating to his subjects’ individualities, and ultimately to build trust, capture intimacy, educate and inform.

The LGBT+ Letters series was gifted to the Collection at the culmination of the artists time on the Art Collection’s Graduate Scholarship Programme, run in partnership with Castlefield Gallery.

Portraits:

A colour photograph shows a black person from the chest up. They have curly hair styled in a bob and are wearing a necklace and earings made from coloured pencil segments, and a white dress with a green and yellow floral pattern. They have their nose piereced and visible armpit hair. Their right eye is half obscured by shadow.
Jesse Glazzard, Ella (from LGBT+ Letters), 2018-2019. Courtesy the artist.
A picture of a person stood in front of a fence. They have shoulder length red curly hair cut with a fringe. In their left hand they are holding a blonde wig atop a large jar filled with oranges.
Jesse Glazzard, Blake (from LGBT+ Letters), 2018-2019. Courtesy the artist.
A colour photography showing a white person from the waist up. They dark hair which is shaved at the sides and they're sat on a black sofa wearing a beige, oversized hoodie.
Jesse Glazzard, Jay (From LGBT+ Letters), 2018-19. Courtesy the artist.
A colour photograph shows a person from the waist up, sat inside on a grey sofa. They have a shaved head and wear layered necklaces over a black tshirt. Behind them on the wall is a poster depicting Radha-Krishna.
Jesse Glazzard, Lua (From LGBT+ Letters), 2018-19. Courtesy the artist.
A bright colour photography shows a white person from the waist up, posed against a yellow backgroud. They have short blond hair, and they are wearing a button up shirt with a statement collar, under a black blazer jacket.
Jesse Glazzard, Meggie (From LGBT+ Letters), 2018-19. Courtesy the artist.
A colour photography shows a white person from the waist up, stood outside in front of a brick built house. They are wearing a sequin, off the shoulder blue and gold top, a wide black choaker, and a black hat. They are wearing blye eyeshadow, and large geometric gold earings.
Jesse Glazzard, Laurie (From LGBT+ Letters), 2018-19. Courtesy the artist.
A full body colour photography showing an asian person in red trousers, a red and white graphic button-up shirt, and statement orange-tinted glasses stands in a field facing the camera.
Jesse Glazzard, Weimen (From LGBT+ Letters), 2018-19. Courtesy the artist.

Letters: