Lola Flash

Lola Flash (b.1959, USA) uses photography to challenge stereotypes and offer new ways of seeing that transcend and interrogate gender, sexual, and racial norms. She received her bachelor’s degree from Maryland Institute and her Masters from London College of Printing, in the UK. Flash works primarily in portraiture with a 4×5 film camera, engaging those who are often deemed invisible. In 2008, she was a resident at Lightwork, and in 2011 Lola was awarded an Art Matters grant, which allowed her to further two projects, in Brazil and London. Most recently, she was Artist-in-Residence at Alice Yard in Trinidad. Lola has work included in important public collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  Her work is also featured in the publication Posing Beauty, edited by Deb Willis, currently on exhibit across the US. Flash’s work welcomes audiences who are willing to not only look but see.

Working at the forefront of genderqueer visual politics for more than three  decades, Lola Flash’s photography challenges stereotypes and gender, sexual and racial preconceptions.  Her art and activism are profoundly connected, fueling a life-long commitment to visibility and preserving the legacy of LGBTQIA+ and communities of color world wide.  Flash’s practice is firmly rooted in social justice advocacy around sexual, racial and cultural difference.

The images above are from different series:  surmise | [sur]passing | salt | afrofuturism