In this powerful conversation, multi-hyphenate artist Lady Zen joins The Bureau of Queer Art to reflect on their acclaimed film What’s in a Name, a poetic and unflinching exploration of gender, identity, and self-recognition. Speaking from their home in San Miguel de Allende, they share the emotional and creative process behind transforming a penance chapel—once used to punish queerness—into a space for healing and truth.

We discuss queer photography, the politics of visibility, the myth of industry acceptance, and how Lady Zen’s transmasculine identity informs their work. With humor, vulnerability, and grit, they remind us that visibility isn’t a performance—it’s survival.

This episode is part of The Pride Collection: Chosen Family, a curated series running June 1 through August 31, 2025, that celebrates queer artists building community through creativity and care.

Learn more & support the project:
www.thebureauofqueerart.com

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Through sensuality, survival, and sharp-witted grace, David Jester paints what too many won’t even say out loud. In this powerful episode, Jester reflects on art as confession, HIV survivorship, aging in a queer body, and the brutal cost of being visible. His canvases don’t perform—they speak, reminding us what it means to be seen and still stand tall.

Recorded in conjunction with Pride NOT Permission and the 50 Postcards project, this conversation dives into the emotional core of Jester’s latest work: paintings that don’t seek resolution, but insist on truth.

🟣 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform
🎨 View the work at Artsy.net
📬 Order the limited-edition box set at thebureauofqueerart.com

Subscribe to INresidency – Queer & Allied Creatives by The Bureau of Queer Art and join us in resisting silence, one story at a time.

In this episode, we reflect on The Bureau of Queer Art’s first-ever Open Studio event—a gathering of current residents, alumni, exhibiting artists, and new voices. Hosted by Micheal Swank, the conversation centers on what it means to share space, exchange stories, and build a creative future across geographies. Hear reflections on the evening, updates on upcoming opportunities like IMMORTAL: Queer Art Fair and 50 Postcards – Pride NOT Permission, and a call to shape what this community looks like moving forward. Whether you're a longtime collaborator or just finding your way in, this one’s for you.