A silk ballgown printed with the names of 25,000 people known to have died of AIDS related illnesses will go on display at the Hayward Gallery tomorrow.
The Memorial Dress was created by activist and artist Hunter Reynolds throughout the 90s as an expression of the loss he felt after the death of many of his friends, and as a way to transform his trauma.
It features in new exhibition Kiss My Genders alongside more than 100 other artworks exploring gender fluidity and trans, non-binary and intersex identities.
Among the pieces on display will be Zanele Muholi's photography series Crime Scene, which draws attention to the violence inflicted upon South Africa’s lesbian and transgender communities, as well as Juliana Huxtable's pictures of herself as superheroes, looking at how marginalised people are “forced to be their own saints”.
Artists exploring gender identity through performance include British-Iraqi writer, drag performer and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi, who shares the experience of being a Muslim person in drag with their self portrait Glamrou.
The exhibition extends beyond the Hayward Gallery walls as Argentinian artist Ad Minoliti will provide bright, geometric designs for the Riverside Stage and adorn the Royal Festival Hall roof in flags, while stained-glass windows by South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga will transform the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Curator Vincent Honoré said that the exhibition “intends to be a wonderful celebration welcoming the brilliant differences and the rich spectra of genders within our society."