“How would you like to be remembered?”
“Oh I don’t know. Haven’t thought about that. Dead and gone.” -Freddie Mercury
A new portrait series by artist Chuck Knigge will celebrate and remember the greatest voice of rock by playing dress up with the most memorable queens of history, fiction, and pop culture. “Long Live Queen Freddie!” features oil paintings, watercolors, screen prints and digital illustrations, depicting the lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury, as equally iconic queens, ranging from historic figures, such as Queen Elizabeth I, to pop culture icons, like Queen Latifah and Queen Amidala.
Queen has always been an influence to Knigge, who grew up with the grandiose sounds and images of the ongoing civil rights movement for the LGBT community. Wrapped in absurdity and silliness, juxtaposing Freddie Mercury’s many faces with the imagery of famous queens allows Knigge to create a social commentary in a digestible series. He wants you to have fun first, but not without raising questions
The series will hang in two places this summer. Starting June 28th for Seattle Pride, you can see Queen Freddie at Saint John’s Bar and Eatery on E. Pike in Seattle. You’ll be able to see the series every day from 2pm to 2am, until its move to Tacoma, for a July 12th show at Fulcrum Gallery, to coincide with Tacoma Pride. You can visit the Freddies at Fulcrum from 12pm to 5pm, every Wednesday and Friday, until the end of the month. A portion of proceeds from art sales will be donated to organizations working for equal rights.
Opening Celebration July 12th 7-10 PM
Original Art Work & Prints
Audio Selections by Mr. Melanin
$5.00 donation (No one turned away)
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to help fund the Rainbow Center in Tacoma WA.
Huffington Post Coverage
Facebook Invite
Queerty.com
