Diogo Duarte (he/him/they/them), b. 1987, is an Edinburgh-based, Portuguese artist with a specific interest in queer issues. With a background in mental health and bereavement support, his mixed media practice explores themes of queerness, queer futurity, queer utopias, intimacy, sex, identity and mental health.

 

His personal work evolves out of processes of psychological exploration which reveal untold and nuanced stories. Diogo's unique perspective and collaborative approach inspire the creation of work that is full of meaning and personal revelation. Each work is a celebration of self.

 

In 2018, his project ‘Sour-Puss: The Opera’, co-created with sister artist Jessica Mitchell was a finalist at Portugal’s Photography Biennial - BF18 - and in 2021 published as an art book by GOST Books and launched at the Grand Palais during Paris Photo Fair.

 

His most recent work, ‘Dog Monster (BESTA)’ and ‘Contract’, created during his Masters degree at the Glasgow School of Art in 2022, are part of a wider body of work exploring cruising grounds - where men have sex with men - as utopian spaces and how they intersect with the occult, witchcraft and moments of historical queer defiance. 

 

His work has been widely exhibited, including in the UK, Japan, Italy, USA, Canada, Russia and Portugal. His work was sold at auction at Getty Image’s Gallery in London in aid of the mental health charity CALM and at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Canada to support communities to access the arts.

 

As New York Gallerist Brian Paul Clamp of ClampArt stated, in Diogo's work "...different worlds collide - gender is distorted; history is rendered with a modern neon glow; fashion bleeds into religion. (Diogo explores) what it means to be a multi-faceted man breaking away from stereotypes in today's world."

 

Diogo also facilitates workshops with charities where he uses photography to enable self-expression and is a freelance tutor at the London School of Photography.