An exciting new exhibition titled Artists First: Contemporary Perspectives on Portraiture will run until August 2026. It features eight contemporary artists spotlighting lives and stories throughout history that have previously remained untold
BY AIMEE BUTLER, IMAGE SHOWS GIANA DE DIER TAKEN BY LUNA WALLACE
Dr Flavia Frigeri, curatorial and collections director, has described the exhibition as an “opportunity for artists to enter into a dialogue with our Collection, to redress and shine a light on some of the stories of individuals and communities that aren’t yet told on our walls.”
Giana De Dier is a Panamanian artist born in 1980. The traditional carte-de-visite inspires her contribution to the exhibition, intending to highlight the representations of individuals from the African and Caribbean diaspora who have had a resounding impact on British life. Through the use of collage and Victorian photomontage techniques, Giana blends objects and locations to characterise the backgrounds and experiences of her selected sitters.
Featuring in Giana’s collection is Jacqui Rhule-Dagher, lawyer, writer and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. In her photograph, Jacqui stands outside the Admiral Duncan Pub, a Pride flag draped across the brickwork and a Kente cloth representing her Ghanaian heritage wrapped around her.
The significance of the location is powerful: one of London’s oldest gay pubs and a popular hub for the LGBTQIA+ community. In 1999, it was the site of a homophobic attack that killed three people and injured 70. Giana references the attack with a collaged plaque in the photograph of Jacqui.
In an effort to champion inclusivity within a traditional and conservative legal industry, Jacqui founded Legally Lesbians (now Legally Queerly) in April 2023. The initiative involves lesbians and queer individuals in the legal industry or in-house lawyers writing about their careers and reflecting on the importance of lesbian and queer visibility. These inspiring pieces of personal writing are collected to form an article which is published annually by DIVA magazine.
Legally Queerly acts as crucial representation of lesbians and queer people within the legal industry, facilitating conversations on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ legal professionals, while highlighting the importance of diversity, equity and inclusivity in all areas of society.
The inclusion and recognition of people like Jacqui make this exhibition a must-see one. Stories from people, past and present, who have sought to reshape society through representation and visibility, are portrayed through different art forms.
Entry to the exhibition is free, and it will run until 3 August 2026, so there is plenty of time for you to make your way to the National Portrait Gallery to take a look.
DIVA magazine celebrates 31 years in print in 2025. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA+ media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
✨linkin.bio/ig-divamagazine ✨
