Nemesis: Remember
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
Tuesday, September 29th –
Sunday, October 4th
Nemesis: Remember
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
Tuesday, September 29th – Sunday, October 4th
GLAAD proudly presents the Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) Year 3 Exhibition, Nemesis: Remember, curated by Damon Epps – a week long showcase, powered by Gilead Sciences and supported by Publicis Groupe, celebrating the bold creativity and cultural impact of 10 Black Queer visual artists. Hosted at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, the exhibition highlights original works developed over the past year to expand visibility and investment in Black LGBTQ+ creatives, while connecting art, community, and advocacy through intentional programming that explores the role of storytelling in addressing HIV and challenging stigma.
Join us on Tuesday, September 29th, from 8:00 – 10:00 PM EST, for Public Gallery Hours during Opening Night. Be among the first to experience the cohort’s original works.
About the Exhibition
Learn more about the EMEI program.
Please note: Artwork shown here serves as visual reference and does not represent the final pieces on view at the museum.
BCIMANARTIST · Darian Deshawn Stewart
HE/HIM · New York, NY
Painting, Mixed Media, Installation
Born and raised in Arkansas, Stewart is a New York–based multidisciplinary artist who merges collaged imagery with beads, rhinestones, fabric, and paint into complex, layered compositions.
Drawing from personal experience navigating life as a queer Black man, a father, a lover, and a free spirit, his work explores identity, the African diaspora, sexual liberation, queer navigation, mental health and HIV awareness, and escapism.
BFA, Arkansas State University; MFA, Parsons School of Design. Recent exhibitions include Bradbury Art Museum, Kente Royal Gallery, Silvermine, and PS1 Harlem.
BCIMANARTIST · Darian Deshawn Stewart
HE/HIM · New York, NY
Painting, Mixed Media, Installation
Born and raised in Arkansas, Stewart is a New York–based multidisciplinary artist who merges collaged imagery with beads, rhinestones, fabric, and paint into complex, layered compositions.
Drawing from personal experience navigating life as a queer Black man, a father, a lover, and a free spirit, his work explores identity, the African diaspora, sexual liberation, queer navigation, mental health and HIV awareness, and escapism.
BFA, Arkansas State University; MFA, Parsons School of Design. Recent exhibitions include Bradbury Art Museum, Kente Royal Gallery, Silvermine, and PS1 Harlem.
BE3K · Anthony Badon
HE/HIM · New Orleans, LA
Drawing, Painting
Anthony Badon, known professionally as BE3K, is a painter whose practice is rooted in Black figurative work reflecting on nostalgia and the pop culture of the African American diaspora. The works often draw inspiration from personal experience, family, and collective histories, merging storytelling and visual expression.
BE3K · Anthony Badon
HE/HIM · New Orleans, LA
Drawing, Painting
Anthony Badon, known professionally as BE3K, is a painter whose practice is rooted in Black figurative work reflecting on nostalgia and the pop culture of the African American diaspora. The works often draw inspiration from personal experience, family, and collective histories, merging storytelling and visual expression.
Devin Wesley
HE/HIM · Los Angeles, CA
Painting
Devin Wesley (b. 1993) is an oil painter whose black and white portraits expand the ways in which Black men are seen and understood. A former athlete, Wesley draws from lived experiences navigating traditional ideas of masculinity and Blackness.
Through the use of light and shadow, Wesley highlights the contradictions that can exist within a single person, revealing a more expansive vision of Black life. Mirrors frequently appear throughout his work, inviting viewers to confront historically shaped perceptions of Black men and recognize themselves within these narratives.
Beyond the canvas, Wesley’s practice extends into cultural dialogue and social impact. He has collaborated with brands like Pressed Juicery, Pattern Beauty, and YouTube Originals on projects addressing racial equity and mental wellness. His work has also appeared in group exhibitions and art fairs, including Frieze Los Angeles.
Devin Wesley
HE/HIM · Los Angeles, CA
Painting
Devin Wesley (b. 1993) is an oil painter whose black and white portraits expand the ways in which Black men are seen and understood. A former athlete, Wesley draws from lived experiences navigating traditional ideas of masculinity and Blackness.
Through the use of light and shadow, Wesley highlights the contradictions that can exist within a single person, revealing a more expansive vision of Black life. Mirrors frequently appear throughout his work, inviting viewers to confront historically shaped perceptions of Black men and recognize themselves within these narratives.
Beyond the canvas, Wesley’s practice extends into cultural dialogue and social impact. He has collaborated with brands like Pressed Juicery, Pattern Beauty, and YouTube Originals on projects addressing racial equity and mental wellness. His work has also appeared in group exhibitions and art fairs, including Frieze Los Angeles.
Jah Beverly
HE/HIM · Philadelphia, PA
Painting
Jah Beverly is a self-taught contemporary figurative artist based in Philadelphia whose work boldly reimagines masculinity through the lens of his identity as a Black trans man, using eroticism and self-expression to push against dominant narratives of gender and race. Through large-scale oil paintings, he centers Black trans-masculine bodies in a visual language of vibrant color, striking figuration, and minimalist backdrops. He has exhibited at Da Vinci Art Alliance, InLiquid Gallery, and William Way.
Jah Beverly
HE/HIM · Philadelphia, PA
Painting
Jah Beverly is a self-taught contemporary figurative artist based in Philadelphia whose work boldly reimagines masculinity through the lens of his identity as a Black trans man, using eroticism and self-expression to push against dominant narratives of gender and race. Through large-scale oil paintings, he centers Black trans-masculine bodies in a visual language of vibrant color, striking figuration, and minimalist backdrops. He has exhibited at Da Vinci Art Alliance, InLiquid Gallery, and William Way.
José Duran
HE/HIM · Bronx, New York
Collage, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture
José Duran (Moca, Dominican Republic) is a painter, designer, and sculptor creating fantastical worlds of cosmopolitan opulence and sumptuous, even dangerous foliage, anchored in research on survival, celebration, vengeance, and aspirational desire in Black communities.
Drawing on baroque and rococo interiors, he centers Black feminine figures as a reclamation of their contributions to European markers of taste — an ode to the dreams of his late mother, between the Bronx and the Dominican Republic.
José Duran
HE/HIM · Bronx, New York
Collage, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture
José Duran (Moca, Dominican Republic) is a painter, designer, and sculptor creating fantastical worlds of cosmopolitan opulence and sumptuous, even dangerous foliage, anchored in research on survival, celebration, vengeance, and aspirational desire in Black communities.
Drawing on baroque and rococo interiors, he centers Black feminine figures as a reclamation of their contributions to European markers of taste — an ode to the dreams of his late mother, between the Bronx and the Dominican Republic.
Kiera Rahming-Reed
SHE/HER · Metro-Atlanta, GA
Wood, Collage, Sculptural Assemblage
Kiera Rahming-Reed is an interdisciplinary artist based in metro-Atlanta whose work investigates emotional architecture through wood, collage, wallpaper, fabric, and sculptural assemblage.
A self-taught woodworker and former elementary educator, she explores how domestic environments shape identity, memory, and belonging. Her work has been exhibited throughout Georgia and continues to evolve toward immersive installations centering Black women and Black queer communities.
Kiera Rahming-Reed
SHE/HER · Metro-Atlanta, GA
Wood, Collage, Sculptural Assemblage
Kiera Rahming-Reed is an interdisciplinary artist based in metro-Atlanta whose work investigates emotional architecture through wood, collage, wallpaper, fabric, and sculptural assemblage.
A self-taught woodworker and former elementary educator, she explores how domestic environments shape identity, memory, and belonging. Her work has been exhibited throughout Georgia and continues to evolve toward immersive installations centering Black women and Black queer communities.
Modest Art 88 · Russell Scott
HE/HIM · Los Angeles, CA
Painting, Sculpture
Russell is a self-taught contemporary artist and dancer whose work blends vibrant color, abstraction, and movement into conceptual acrylic pieces that radiate energy and joy — a practice that bridges visual art and dance.
Solo exhibitions include Oasis (Los Angeles, 2021) and The Flower Show (Los Angeles, 2025), alongside Art Basel in 2021, 2022, and 2024, where he was named a Spotlight Artist at Spectrum Miami. In 2015 he founded Creative Genius Academy, a mobile arts program for underserved youth.
Modest Art 88 · Russell Scott
HE/HIM · Los Angeles, CA
Painting, Sculpture
Russell is a self-taught contemporary artist and dancer whose work blends vibrant color, abstraction, and movement into conceptual acrylic pieces that radiate energy and joy — a practice that bridges visual art and dance.
Solo exhibitions include Oasis (Los Angeles, 2021) and The Flower Show (Los Angeles, 2025), alongside Art Basel in 2021, 2022, and 2024, where he was named a Spotlight Artist at Spectrum Miami. In 2015 he founded Creative Genius Academy, a mobile arts program for underserved youth.
Ryan C. Hamilton
HE/HIM · New York, NY
Photography
Ryan C. Hamilton is a Brooklyn-based documentary photographer whose work centers the Black and queer experience, approaching image making through a sociological lens to capture honest, intimate moments of people and culture.
His images serve as both reflection and archive, revealing the beauty, complexity, and resilience within communities often left unseen, and inspiring others to preserve their own narratives.
Ryan C. Hamilton
HE/HIM · New York, NY
Photography
Ryan C. Hamilton is a Brooklyn-based documentary photographer whose work centers the Black and queer experience, approaching image making through a sociological lens to capture honest, intimate moments of people and culture.
His images serve as both reflection and archive, revealing the beauty, complexity, and resilience within communities often left unseen, and inspiring others to preserve their own narratives.
Travion Payne
HE/HIM · Houston, TX
Painting
Travion Payne, an African American artist from Houston, TX, merges his background in psychology with his practice to create emotionally resonant, thought-provoking paintings, specializing in vibrant, textured portraits.
His work delves into topics affecting Black men and the wider Black community — mental health, religion, colorism, homophobia, and fragile masculinity — using immersive portraiture, facial expression, and hidden symbolism to celebrate the power and beauty of emotion.
Travion Payne
HE/HIM · Houston, TX
Painting
Travion Payne, an African American artist from Houston, TX, merges his background in psychology with his practice to create emotionally resonant, thought-provoking paintings, specializing in vibrant, textured portraits.
His work delves into topics affecting Black men and the wider Black community — mental health, religion, colorism, homophobia, and fragile masculinity — using immersive portraiture, facial expression, and hidden symbolism to celebrate the power and beauty of emotion.
Zakari · Zakari Yonkers
THEY/THEM · Richmond, VA
Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media
Zakari Yonkers is a Black and queer visual artist based in Richmond, Virginia, specializing in portraiture to explore identity, community, and self-expression. Inspired by the people and places around them, each piece aims to hold someone’s personal experience.
Their portraits are often deliberately distorted, challenging ideas of what portraiture can be, and they experiment with gouache and oil to push the boundaries of both materials.
Zakari · Zakari Yonkers
THEY/THEM · Richmond, VA
Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media
Zakari Yonkers is a Black and queer visual artist based in Richmond, Virginia, specializing in portraiture to explore identity, community, and self-expression. Inspired by the people and places around them, each piece aims to hold someone’s personal experience.
Their portraits are often deliberately distorted, challenging ideas of what portraiture can be, and they experiment with gouache and oil to push the boundaries of both materials.
Meet the Curator Damon Epps
About EMEI
In 2022, GLAAD announced the launch of the Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI), supported by Gilead Sciences. The initiative is designed as a pipeline program to help address, and begin to resolve, the existing gap in equitable representation in entertainment, particularly when it comes to Black LGBTQ storytellers and people living with HIV (PLWH).
Composed of three year-long cohorts, the initiative supports different genres of Black LGBTQ creatives across various disciplines from short form filmmakers, music artists, songwriters, and producers, and most recently visual artists. Click here to learn more about the EMEI program.
Thank you to the 2026 EMEI Exhibition Sponsors
Powered By
Contributing Sponsor
Thanks to the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art and Pioneer Works
To become an event partner, contact GLAAD Corporate Partnerships at partnerships@glaad.org.
