Beatport Presents ‘Club Colours’ - A Pride Exhibition

In joyful celebration of Pride, from 19 - 26 June, Beatport took over the recently opened gallery, Meanwhile on Flitcroft Street, London. Aptly named, Beatport’s ‘Club Colours’ showcased a vibrant curation of photographs celebrating the faces and spirit of queer club culture.

Featuring images from talented photographers Courteney Frisby, Aneta Pruszynska and CJ Jones, the exhibition highlighted moments of joy experienced at iconic venues and parties across London such as Queer Bruk, Dalston Superstore, Fèmmme Fraîche and FLUID.

Launch night brought some of the most influential voices in London’s LGBTQIA+ club scene together in discussion - Steven Braines (HE.SHE.THEY), Nadine Noor (Pxssy Palace), Alex Frankovitch (Birkbeck, University of London) and Āliyah Husna aka THEMPRESS (BUMPAH).

The speakers each emphasised the need to protect spaces that foster a sense of belonging and connection amongst queer youth. While the landscape is complicated, Nadine Noor remains confidently positive about the future of club culture; “Don't tell me that it’s dead or dying. Yes, it's much more difficult now in so many ways, but out of adversity is when unfortunately, you see a lot of creativity and beautiful things happen.”

Host Āliyah also acknowledged the importance of documenting and archiving these spaces and experiences. “It's really important always, when we're talking about queer club cultures and queerness in general, to look back on the past and really think about how we honour what movements have come before us, how we honour what it is that has even allowed us to feel so free, and so liberated, to be able to take up space, to be able to co-create spaces.”

Following this thoughtful yet laughter-inducing conversation, producer Kiimi treated the room to an effervescent DJ set which kept the crowd moving until the late evening.

Throughout the week, visitors were also treated to a striking display of outfits created by artists Brother of Set, Cain the Clown and Luke Slyka. Each ensemble boasted stunning craftsmanship and creativity, lending a captivating 3D element to the exhibition.

As the week drew to a close, Love Child and fabric SELECTS gathered in the space to host a listening party for their latest VA, ‘In Pursuit of Pleasure’. Featured artists Ana Quiroga and Ireen Amnes (one half of duo, s.a.t.i.n), shared the inspiration behind their tracks with curator of the album, Kimi Otsuka aka faux naif. Both artists lifted the curtain on their production processes, from conceptualisation and gathering field recordings to improvisation and live performance.

The night ended with a reminder from Kimi that while social attitudes have changed throughout the years, protest and advocacy remains at the heart of Pride. A portion of the album proceeds will be donated to the LGBTQIA+ charity ‘Rainbow Migration’ - a charity for those who seek asylum due to their sexual orientation where their welfare may be at risk.

Special thanks to Farsight Collective and Something & Nothing!