The Brick x Lavanda Collective Present
Pansy Debutantes by Lavanda Collective
Exhibition May 8 – June 27, 2025
Closing Reception Fri June 27, 6-10PM | $10 donation at the door
Brick Aux Gallery – 628 Metropolitan Avenue

 

Pansy Debutantes is an exploration of queer identities through diverse mediums, capturing the intimate, complex, and often unseen spaces of self-actualization. The exhibition presents the works of artists from Lavanda — an emerging art collective of queer contemporary faces— each challenging the conventional narrative of queerness, offering instead a journey into the deeply personal and often paradoxical terrains of self-discovery, transformation, and vulnerability. Our mission is to recenter Queer narratives and community in the creative world. Exhibition is open to the public and free to attend. Learn more.

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Lavanda Collective is a Queer multidisciplinary group of passionate artists, striving to foster a tight-knit community by operating in the interest of mutual aid, towards the path of equity in the arts. Lavanda represents the essence of queer creativity, resilience and pride. We recognize the history of lavender pride, and honor the sacrifices of queer artists that came before us and made this collective possible.

Check us out @lavandacollective

 

Liz Almonte (she/they) :

Togetherness. Intimacy. Longing. Friendships. Dynamics. I am deeply fascinated by  relationships and interaction; how we talk, act, and think alongside one another. Why we do the things we do together and why we keep doing them. Curious at best, nosy at worst. My practice is rooted in the tender nuances of human connection, with the body as a central motif.  I pick apart bits and pieces from my own life— motivated by the notion that the only perspective I can authentically depict is my own.

I derive my own queerness into facets of my work, but it is not the forefront. The role queerness plays in my life is similar in the way gravity makes the apple fall: it just is. It is not something that is actively thought about, but makes itself prevalent and known when needed. Queer bodies are depicted as alive, thriving, and entangled in the mundane— not as something to be prodded and analyzed, but organically engaged in. I resist constraining my work to specific frameworks of identity and rather root my practice in lived experiences.

 

Saiss Cruz Santana (he/they) :

Saiss Cruz Santana’s portraits are projected emotions that break through the constrictions of language. Traditional phrases become perceivable to the audience. Saiss’s use of vivid expression through subjects and their relationship with identity contributes to the world building of imagining black queer experiences through the lives of those who are black and queer.

Growing up in Harlem, Santana found great exploration in the history of cultural environmentalism through art, though many depictions were of the hardships of black and brown communities and didn’t carry uplifting tones. The desire to become a similar symbol of representation, one that extended an invitation to diverse audiences seeking acceptance, security, and kinship.

Piel de Flores is the artist’s latest public screening, presented at Hunter College’s BSU Sankofa event. Santana’s film production work ranges from Director Debut “Dirty Laundry” (Executively Produced by Santana’s Harlem Based Organizations Quintoola), Assistant Director & Producer for ReelWorks Filmmaking (‘23-’24), and Archival Intern & Assistant Editor (Queens Podcast Lab).

 

Brooke D’Addio (she/they) :

Brooke’s work is a representation of the people and experiences that have shaped them  to become the creative they are today. Her artistic practice seeks to embody the complexity and beauty of human passion, by uplifting and centering the lived narratives and experiences of those from her past and present. The Queer experience and construction of identity is a central theme to Brooke’s artistic development and research, inspiring much of her creative endeavors.

The concept of the construction of Queer identity through aesthetics and movement fascinates Brooke. She views Queer Identity as a non-monolithic, complex, and dynamic process. Shaped by both an individual’s personal experiences, and by broader social, political, and cultural contexts in which they live. Identity is not simply fixed, nor is it singularly determined. Rather, identity and its construction is a continuous, cohesive performance of behaviors, aesthetics, and customs that relate to an individual’s interaction within various social and political systems and structures. While it can be deeply personal, the development of Queer identity uniquely functions on a larger communal scale that considers both personal agency and the influence of outside influences of power and social hierarchies.

Through her work, Brooke aims to represent those who have been forgotten or erased, and incite hope for a new generation of Queer creatives and artists.

 

Dyllan Gabriel (Larmond) (he/him) :

In my search for relatability to the world around me, I’ve found comfort in the smaller details that ground me in my experiences. These details range from casual still life compositions tucked in everyday scenes, quiet rays of light, and the presence of the hand. I begin with analog photography, finding and capturing moments, objects, and people that I represent within drawing, painting, and sculpture. In my work, the act of painting becomes a way to render life’s glimpses with care, processing sites, moments, and objects to confirm and appreciate what I see. Light plays a crucial role in this process, illuminating objects, places, people, and histories that have long been unseen. Through these gestures into the light, I aim to reveal and celebrate the often-overlooked details that shape our identities and stories.

Through the lens of queerness, my artistic practice holds the object as a consistent point of reference in contrast to the figure. I find myself most drawn to painting, but often begin with photography. Using analog digital techniques, I capture and archive moments, objects, and figures, which I then explore

 

Marcellus Louise (they/he) :

This piece explores the ties between transexuality and divinity. Catholicism teaches that we are created in “the image and likeness of God”. The bible name drops male and female, but where does that leave those who identify as neither? I found myself fascinated with the idea of modeling oneself after God’s image.If we are given free will, we are able to model ourselves to fit into our projected image and likeness akin to how God did.  Although I no longer practice Catholicism, my upbringing in the church still influences aspects of my life.

Sometimes when a trans person decides to transition, they may take hormones and undergo surgeries to alleviate gender dysphoria. They make themselves in their own image, stabbing themselves weekly to exhibit ideal traits that align with their gender presentation. Although their stigmata may not be as big as Jesus’, the blood bleeds through the same. In pre colonial Philippine society, shamans, referred to as the babaylan, were well respected spiritual leaders and healers in indigenous communities. Some of them would experiment with dressing as the opposite gender, experiencing gender fluidity openly to the respect of their community.

These spiritual leaders were regarded as closer to God, to masterfully balance the divine feminine and masculine. To be more in touch with the divine to better serve their community.

They would remake themselves in their own image; something beyond the gender binary. Beyond gender itself. By drawing inspiration from Catholic imagery and spirituality I find myself returning to the same question; is being a transexual the closest I have to communing with the divine?