A few years ago, I was exhibiting at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. It was June—Pride Month—and I decided to add a small LGBTQ+ flag to my booth. Nothing big or loud, just a quiet symbol of support and identity. But Charleston is a deeply conservative place. I quickly noticed a pattern: several people who had walked in with interest turned around and left the moment they saw the flag.
That kind of silent rejection wasn’t new to me. As a woman—and especially as an artist—I had already felt disrespected and overlooked in that environment. That’s part of why I created my project Like a Girl: Dare to Dream while living there: I wanted to support and uplift women in a place where we were often dismissed. At the time, I hadn’t come out locally as bisexual. I’ve known and accepted this part of myself since my late teens, but I’ve never been one to make announcements—especially while I was married to a man, when everyone simply assumed I was straight. That invisibility, both as a woman and as someone in the LGBTQ community, was heavy.
That experience made something very clear to me: even within the art world—where we’re supposed to be open and progressive—LGBTQ voices still face resistance. That’s why we need minority-focused shows. Not as a trend or a checkbox, but because we are still fighting for space, for visibility, and for respect.
So this July, I’m curating a special exhibition at Casa Nua in São Paulo, called Post-Pride. It opens on July 5th, and it’s exactly what it sounds like—a celebration of LGBTQ+ artists after the rainbow branding of June fades away.
Because Pride is not a one-month theme. Our lives, our stories, our struggles, and our joy deserve attention all year long.
This show brings together LGBTQ+ artists from different backgrounds, working in various mediums, all united by the courage to express who they are. I’m honored to hold space for that. For us.
If you’re in São Paulo, I hope you’ll come by. Not just to support the community—but to truly engage with the honesty, beauty, and power of queer art.
Because sometimes, all it takes is a small flag to reveal how far we still have to go.
See the official post on X:
The event will showcase digital/NFT, performance, 3D, and more.
Opening Event: July 5th, 2025 | 3-11 pm (BRT)
Casa NUA, São Paulo
Free tickets (limited): http://lu.ma/TB2FOG1F
With Love, and Pride
FER CAGGIANO 
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