Originally from Chicago, and on DIY and punk scenes as a teenager, Khaleb Brooks grew up around a lot of people who were queer sex workers, and found himself reimmersed in this community when he moved to Berlin to pursue his art practice in 2017. “Most of my work is around African diasporic queer experiences. I started making figurative portraits of my friends, creating images of what I hadn’t seen in museums and galleries. I wanted my community to see themselves.” Drawing from mythology, his practice approaches imagined histories as a way to repair generational trauma and collective grief. Khaleb’s work for Decriminalised Futures encompasses three paintings, “Before the Session”, “During The Session” and “After”. “I visualised my experiences to center my own body instead of the body of the client.
Decriminalised Futures opens at the ICA on February 12. Khaleb Brooks will have his first solo show at Gazelli Art House in London from June 30 until August 13, 2022.
