GIVE THEM THE FANTASY
June 5th—August 1st, 2025
Curated by Design Dysphoria
Gotham Chelsea
146 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Curated by DESIGN DYSPHORIA: Liz Collins, Grace Whiteside of Sticky Glass, and
Erica Sellers and Jeremy Silberberg of Studio S II
While many queer people are deeply intertwined with the environments they construct
and inhabit, there remains an opportunity to establish new spaces that prioritize queer
and trans voices. With “Give Them The Fantasy”, the DESIGN DYSPHORIA collective has
created an immersive environment within Gotham’s Chelsea Gallery, drawing inspiration
from queerness and gender exploration in film, media, and nightlife.
“Give Them The Fantasy” is both a provocation and a promise. In a time when we’re
bombarded daily by bleak headlines, regressive policies, and a world that often feels
hostile to queer existence, fantasy offers an alternative, a space where queer joy,
defiance, and beauty can take center stage. It’s a reminder that building our own world
can be more powerful, more vibrant, and more real than the one handed to us.
The resulting exhibition comprises vignettes featuring works by twenty-four artists,
including video, furniture, glass, textiles, and interactive design objects. A majority of
the contributors are women, nonbinary, and trans artists and designers whose work
seeks to foster connection and community within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
This collaboration layers design, identity, and play—translating the bold aesthetics of the
DESIGN DYSPHORIA collective into a space that is both celebratory and unapologetically
queer.
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Genderfail archive pyramid, 2025
Risograph printed publications
11 x 17 risograph prints
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Erica Sellers and Jeremy Silberberg of Studio S II
While many queer people are deeply intertwined with the environments they construct
and inhabit, there remains an opportunity to establish new spaces that prioritize queer
and trans voices. With “Give Them The Fantasy”, the DESIGN DYSPHORIA collective has
created an immersive environment within Gotham’s Chelsea Gallery, drawing inspiration
from queerness and gender exploration in film, media, and nightlife.
“Give Them The Fantasy” is both a provocation and a promise. In a time when we’re
bombarded daily by bleak headlines, regressive policies, and a world that often feels
hostile to queer existence, fantasy offers an alternative, a space where queer joy,
defiance, and beauty can take center stage. It’s a reminder that building our own world
can be more powerful, more vibrant, and more real than the one handed to us.
The resulting exhibition comprises vignettes featuring works by twenty-four artists,
including video, furniture, glass, textiles, and interactive design objects. A majority of
the contributors are women, nonbinary, and trans artists and designers whose work
seeks to foster connection and community within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
This collaboration layers design, identity, and play—translating the bold aesthetics of the
DESIGN DYSPHORIA collective into a space that is both celebratory and unapologetically
queer.
Genderfail archive pyramid, 2025
Risograph printed publications
11 x 17 risograph prints
