Gemma Rolls-Bentley in conversation with Kim McAleese

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Gemma Rolls-Bentley has been at the forefront of contemporary art for almost two decades, working passionately to amplify the work of queer artists and curating exhibitions and art collections internationally. A visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art, she curated the group exhibition Dreaming of Home at Leslie Lohman Museum of Art in New York , the Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival in London and the Brighton Beacon Collection, the largest permanent display of queer art in the UK.

To celebrate the publication of her stunning art book QUEER ART From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between, we’re excited to host a conversation between Gemma and Kim McAleese.

Kim McAleese is a curator originally from Belfast, now based in Scotland. She is currently Director of Edinburgh Art Festival, and was previously Programme Director of Grand Union, Birmingham. Her practice is centred around sharing, listening, supporting, caring, conversing and exchanging. She is co-founder of Household, a collective of curators who organise public art projects in Northern Ireland, and a previous co-director of Catalyst Arts. She was an Associate Lecturer at University of Birmingham, and is Vice-Chair of Outburst Arts. Kim was a member of the 2021 Turner Prize jury, and on the selection jury for the British Pavilion at Venice, 2024.

QUEER ART From Canvas to Club, and the Spaces Between mixes gallery stalwarts with Instagram stars. From Frances Bacon, Tom of Finland and Derek Jarman to contemporary artists Sin Wai Kin, Ajamu X and Zanele Muholi, the book explores over 150 works across thematic chapters, offering a fascinating overview of the power and shifts in queer art globally across years of activism, community building and the ongoing fight for liberation.