Living Vivid Exhibition
#lightbydan #gallery #neonDrag Portrait exhibition at Dalston Superstore 2018
When I first began my colourful portraiture, many of the people I worked with were drag artists and performers; I started a collaborative crusade to learn from, signal-boost and celebrate as many of the local icons I knew from queer nights out as I could. In 2018 I had an opportunity to put on an exhibition at Dalston Superstore
![Living_Vivid_Poster](/_astro/Living_Vivid_Poster-.DTCKPS58_Z2u9i2.webp)
![Jayjay](/_astro/Jayjay-.DIuLtTZm_1lYAzG.webp)
![Dolly](/_astro/Dolly-8011120.DFNWCRRX_229YOe.webp)
![Tete](/_astro/Tete-160769.BKl0R1P4_ZhnVPR.webp)
![Baby_Lame](/_astro/Baby_Lame-.CLZpEGpb_ZbcUz7.webp)
![Saffron](/_astro/Saffron-1154534.CaQEDfIy_1NswUs.webp)
![Thursday](/_astro/Thursday-013651.97xUwltZ_Z275YSq.webp)
![Hurrr](/_astro/Hurrr-8214833.BB9qYR9K_Z1tOhvX.webp)
![Bougie](/_astro/Bougie-9090796.BqBVRiKJ_ZJWj7x.webp)
![Delerium](/_astro/Delerium-7260782.BxoqJmv6_DuAFm.webp)
![Don](/_astro/Don-160940.DHbTN4h6_ZeXxSb.webp)
![livingVivid40 image](/_astro/River.D2srBSrx_29TgmV.webp)
![Crystal](/_astro/Crystal-7241477.G_WKzzuc_Bevbv.webp)
![Felix](/_astro/Felix-9271404.CD1Dgy_H_Zfl8Lj.webp)
![Mynxie](/_astro/Mynxie-8221723.o3vpDjxX_Z2jqaHp.webp)
![Nightbus](/_astro/Nightbus-3092835.CmSk_Oug_Z2iov2x.webp)
![livingVivid40 image](/_astro/Jono.BbNJF78h_2ett9R.webp)
![Jo](/_astro/Jo-7240464.D7L74AeB_8ayuE.webp)
![Ray](/_astro/Ray-9090687.DC2LM-R4_ZS4jV.webp)
![Gonnorheana](/_astro/Gonnorheana-2151942.DYQBE73y_23uVYO.webp)
![Taylor](/_astro/Taylor-3072538.DZNuDsFL_18qOA8.webp)
![Petite_Lame](/_astro/Petite_Lame-.ZqLBaEJq_1AT2Oj.webp)
![Zia](/_astro/Zia-8255431.DQ9NWJwH_1fekTr.webp)
![Cazeleon](/_astro/Cazeleon-7200115.Dm8kwKAP_Z1sh7qP.webp)
![livingVivid40 image](/_astro/Freida.Dl-cJ6Ym_Z2wpsad.webp)
![Chase](/_astro/Chase-160039.BWpbLqqY_28Wocd.webp)
![Shakka](/_astro/Shakka-8011081.DHFNBl3m_ZnovYC.webp)
![Georgia](/_astro/Georgia-230109.BIXXqJQD_PTEaS.webp)
![Holly](/_astro/Holly-8143096.CoutbwvA_ZTQYl4.webp)
![Just_May](/_astro/Just_May-8163428.ZHroDD1k_1QA0gK.webp)
![Jaqui](/_astro/Jaqui-1250919.BHb4_AbE_Z9xoT1.webp)
![Cybil](/_astro/Cybil-072885.lrLuj1lv_Z1JxaqK.webp)
![Rodent](/_astro/Rodent-.B4nKS0GS_vegY5.webp)
![Cola](/_astro/Cola-s51m40-3032415.Bjbs_9r__Z8laXI.webp)
![Shayshay](/_astro/Shayshay-9110959.G7rQU9Ju_ZwJuO3.webp)
![Crayola](/_astro/Crayola-7260670.DakjGrxs_2rPV2K.webp)
![Shakona](/_astro/Shakona-3032082.H1qvcgHh_Z1va4al.webp)
![Katy](/_astro/Katy-094213.CzZrE_mx_19qv5s.webp)
![Karnage](/_astro/Karnage-2165588.B1BCfOqL_Z2f45Cg.webp)
![Sue_GivesaFuck](/_astro/Sue_GivesaFuck-9180859.-cmwueRV_Z2dlU5H.webp)
![Envy](/_astro/Envy-113163.CUwWCubU_1DkJBY.webp)
Forty portraits of kings and queens, club kids and performers, displayed for two months in the same scene that most of them came up in. It felt right: the circle complete.
![exhibition_at_dalston_superstore](/_astro/exhibition_at_dalston_superstore-9061813.BK-ON-iL_Q5mPs.webp)
![exhibition_at_dalston_superstore](/_astro/exhibition_at_dalston_superstore-9061787.CpXAAsNm_Z1IdxLS.webp)
![exhibition_at_dalston_superstore](/_astro/exhibition_at_dalston_superstore-9061788.Bg3wYVWK_Z1WdL7w.webp)
![exhibition_at_dalston_superstore](/_astro/exhibition_at_dalston_superstore-9061776.DOplpDx-_25GMGG.webp)
![exhibition_at_dalston_superstore](/_astro/exhibition_at_dalston_superstore-9061808.Bije8eQx_1IfS87.webp)
![exhibition_at_dalston_superstore](/_astro/exhibition_at_dalston_superstore-9061785.qbHDr8nv_ZYIwm0.webp)
It was amazing to have so many people see my work, and be such a part of the furniture for a couple months, but in a lot of ways it was a disaster. That poster I made with a friend was never printed, I never sold any of the pieces, and the whole thing cost me about £1500 in a year where I had very little work.
I don’t regret it; it was an exciting thing to do and an apt capstone to an important period of my life, but I’ve not rushed into doing something like that again.
![Photo by LightByDan](/_astro/mistakes.D5JD8VR3_VUqSN.webp)
The poster was made out of a bunch of images where a flash had misfired and cast the queen in a accidentally sinister light. I made it into one of my first prints back in 2018, recreated for the new print shop .