The poster as art form

I was once lucky enough to share a silk-screen studio with Kids On TV, Will Munro and a handful of other queer and queer-friendly artists. It was tucked away in a quiet corner off Queen West. The space has since been destroyed to make way for condos (surprise), but it was once a hive of creativity where queer rock-show flyers were hung to dry alongside activist manifestos. Will and other talented artists created beautiful, bombastic and unashamedly gay posters for their events, many of which are framed and hanging on the walls of my apartment today, treated like the fine art they are.

I would often run into Will, out postering for his many, many events, socializing with the folks he met in the street and spreading the word. Each poster he hung stood out like a beacon, advertising an exciting queer experience while taking up public space. Those posters gave a scene and a community a real presence and solidified an explicitly queer place in the landscape of the city beyond the Village.

That’s something you can’t duplicate with a Facebook invite, which is essentially a private cyber interaction that creates a digital closet that shelters culture from those not in the know. Before Facebook, anybody could find out about great parties and events just by going for a walk.

Check out Xtra‘s feature on The Postering Issue.

And don’t miss coverage of AIDS Action Now’s new poster campaign.

And Danny Glenwright’s recent editorial on the issue, Paint the Town.