Galerie du Monde is delighted to present the group exhibition Retrograde curated by Cusson Cheng. Different from other LGBTQ-themed exhibitions that emphasize the pride and visibility of sexual minorities, Retrograde raises questions on the costs of the contemporary move to the mainstream in lesbian and gay culture. The exhibition contests the dominant heteronormative logic of desire, the homogeneous models of gay modern identities, and proposes alternative ways of thinking that allow one to radically reimagine queer histories, subjectivities, and futures. The curator invites eleven local and international contemporary artists who come from eight nationalities and currently reside in seven countries to participate in the exhibition, with more than half debuting in Asia.

Inspired by astrology, the exhibition title references the retrograde motion of planets which represents an exception or even a challenge to the sense of normalcy. Such planets depart from the main highway altogether — they are seekers or explorers who travel the celestial byways in search of something not available on the main highway. Similarly, the participating artists identify and comprehend the underlying concerns of queer modernity, envision queer subjectivities beyond the grand narrative, and regard ‘queer’ as a melting pot of poststructural, postmodern, postcolonial, and ‘postpatriarchal’ methodologies to truly ‘queer’ the queer.

Opening: 16 June 2022, Thursday, 5-8pm

Gallery address: 108 Ruttonjee Centre, 11 Duddell Street, Central