Oakland-based portraitist Cori N. Pillows’ debut solo art exhibition “Portrait of a Queer” is currently showing at SomaR Bar and Lounge in her native city.
The emerging artist’s body of work will be hosted at the venue through March, after receiving great traction at its initial showing at Qulture Collective late last year.
“Overall, response has been positive,” Pillows says. “I get some concerning questions about the title of the show but for the most part people seem receptive to this type of expression.”
Her inspiration for the collection derived directly from her community in Oakland and the surrounding Bay Area. It features eighteen LGBTQ models from different backgrounds, all residing in Oakland.
“It was important to me to reflect my community in a magical way. I was hoping to use my craft to communicate personality, complexity and flamboyance in the queer community. Naming it ‘queer’ in order to give positive power to the word. Portraying power, beauty and individuality in each image was generally my goal.”
