A rendering of Queercircle in the Design District, London. Image © Taran Wilkhu
A rendering of Queercircle in the Design District, London. Image © Taran Wilkhu

Two institutions dedicated to LGBTQ+ culture will open in London this summer. Queer Britain, whose organizers describe it as “the U.K.’s first national LGBTQ+ museum,” will open a permanent multi-purpose space in Kings Cross on May 5, while Queercircle, an LGBTQ+-led charity with a focus on the arts, opens its home in Greenwich on June 9.

The openings coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first annual Pride March in London.

The Granary Building home to Queer Britain. Photo by Tom Mehrtens

“It has been amazing to follow the journey of Queer Britain from a first idea to the opening of the U.K.’s first museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ people,” curator Matthew Storey said in a statement.

“It has been an honor to curate the opening display that showcases Queer Britain’s achievements so far.”

The opening show, “Welcome to Queer Britain,” will include items from the museum’s archive and artworks by Allie Crewe, Robert Taylor, and Sadie Lee. Also on view will be works by Lee and Paul Harfleet, winners of the Queer Britain Madame Prize.

Queer Britain opens in a building adjacent to St. Martin’s College of Art that also hosts the Art Fund, the U.K.’s national fundraising charity for art, founded in 1903.

Welcome to Queer Britain install view. Photo by Tom Mehrtens

Meanwhile, Queercircle, which is cochaired by Glen Scott Wright, a director at Victoria Miro gallery, also includes on its board artist Issac Julien and collector and Talk Art co-host Russell Tovey.The space will include a reading room, a project space, and a main gallery.

It will present contemporary exhibitions by LGBTQ+ artists, archival exhibitions, and a residency program. It opens with with a show titled “Let Me Hold You” by rising star artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan.

Michaela Yearwood-Dan, 2022. Courtesy the artist and Tiwani Contemporary. Photo by Deniz Guzel

“Our program is a response to the needs and aspirations of our community, and we remain committed to listening and adapting to those needs,” said Queercircle founder and director Ashley Joiner.

“With increasing cuts being made to arts education and vital mental health services, it is necessary for us to reimagine the role cultural spaces play in society.”