“Seven larger than life collaged portraits of older butch lesbians will occupy the space. These nudes disrupt the conventions of classical representation of the female as an erotic, vulnerable, and alluring subject.

“The images queer the representations of conventional male qualities of triumph and strength with their unfaltering postures. They triumphantly claim who they are and own the space they inhabit. In this way these figures become both male and female and represent the guts it takes to live one’s entire life outside the gendered margins.

“My intention is to have others see what I see … fierce lesbians who are still a force to be reckoned with even with physical signs of age.” — Jo Ann Block

JO ANN BLOCK—QUEER BEFORE QUEER*

Opening: Friday, September 21, from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Exhibition: Friday, September 21, through Sunday, September 23.

Leslie-Lohman Project Space, 127-B Prince Street, New York City.

Artwork by Jo Ann Block. Courtesy the artist and Leslie-Lohman Museum.

Below: Jo Ann Block.