Surface tension suggests both resilience and fragility: a force that holds, yet can be broken. For queer bodies and identities, how we appear becomes a manifesto — a way of living visibly in a world that often politicises our existence. We appear to create a certain unease in the mainstream, as our lives and existence are politicised and confrontational.

St Margaret’s Gallery
Wednesday 4 to Saturday 14 February 2026
St Margaret’s Church, St Benedicts Street, Norwich NR2 4TU
Open daily

Visibility itself becomes an art of defiance.
Surface Tension wants to present art that thrives on the conflict of desire, where resistance meets conformity. We play with the surface of visibility, we change our skin with tattoos and makeup and clothing, and most certainly, attitude. This play can protect, but also expose a vulnerability, certainly a tension to explore. On the surface, but with an inner depth.
Art as argument, as adornment, as a power to be authentic. The Queer aesthetic, turning the fragile into force.
This exhibition aims to amplify the voices of artists whose work defies simple categorisation, embracing expressions of Queerness that reflect lived experiences across intersections of race, gender identity, diversity, ability and cultural backgrounds.
We are very grateful for the support form Norwich University of the Arts and St Margaret’s Gallery to make this exhibition possible