Fernando Carpaneda at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art

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Fernando Carpaneda’s sculptures were featured in On Our Backs: The Revolutionary Art of Queer Sex Work, an exhibition at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in New York City.

The exhibition explored the history of queer sex work culture and its intimate ties to art and activism. Coined by bisexual activist Carol Leigh, also known as the Scarlot Harlot, in 1978, the term “sex work” was broadly defined as the exchange of sex or erotic services for gain, emphasizing personal agency and politicized action.

More than a portrait of life at the margins, the exhibition presented the deep community-building, creative organizing, self-empowerment, affirmation of identity and desire, and healing fostered by queer and transgender sex workers. It also examined the use of pornography as a tool for queer and trans liberation.

Curated by Alexis Heller.

Featured artists included: Patrick Angus, Nina Arsenault, Robert Blanchon, Fernando Carpaneda, Tee Corinne, Ben Cuevas, Chloe Dzubilo, Juniper Fleming, Amber Hawk Swanson, Xandra Ibarra, Efrain John-Gonzalez, Bruce LaBruce, Robert Mapplethorpe, shawné michaelain holloway, Midori, D’Angelo Madsen Minax, Leon Mostovoy, Ms. Naughty, Pink + White Productions, Mirha Soleil-Ross, Annie Sprinkle, Pluma Sumaq, Veronica Vera, Khalil West & Ajamu, and David Wojnarowicz.