Cardion Nights: Queer Performance for akt kicks off Cardion Arts’ 2025 programme showcasing LGBTQIA+ artists in the UK. Having previously worked together to present the group exhibition Ultraviolet in Soho, London, in 2024, the group of creatives behind Cardion Arts have come together to present an ongoing programme of events, exhibitions and activations amplifying the work of queer artists.
The lineup features singer Tom Rasmussen, performance artist Ebun Sodipo, drag and movement artist Die Lemma and collaborative work by Eve Stainton and Florence Peake.
Tom Rasmussen: The acclaimed musician will perform songs from their albums, Live Wire and Body Building. These albums explore the complexities of queer life, self-forgiveness, and the experience of navigating the world as a visibly queer person. Following the release of “Live Wire” in 2024, Rolling Stone praised Rasmussen as “the voice of a generation.”
Ebun Sodipo: Ebun, an artist and writer focused on Black trans futures, will present The Way Her Tongue Settled, a compelling performance inspired by the life of Vitória, an enslaved African trans woman in 16th-century Lisbon. Through a combination of song, movement, and monologue, Sodipo delves into themes of archival pleasure, eroticism, and the complexities of trans femininity throughout history.
Die Lemma: Die Lemma is a trans femme artist of German and Ethiopian heritage who skillfully blends music and drag in her performances. Her vocal work pays tribute to Black music and traditional cabaret while challenging conventional ideas of gender through her exploration of identity within her trans body. Die uses costume, craftsmanship, and paint to create a tapestry of reimagined possibilities. Her performance vividly showcases an Ethiopian fairytale through visuals, voiceovers, and songs. It serves as a love letter to her heritage and an homage to Black music and culture. Through her art, she aims to liberate herself and others from society’s expectations regarding the positive representation of marginalised groups, particularly Black and trans individuals and addresses the pressures that these expectations can create.
Eve Stainton and Florence Peake: Eve Stainton is an artist and choreographer born in Manchester and currently living in London, UK. They create multi-disciplinary performances incorporating movement practices, welded steel/live welding, digital collage, and other intangible elements like drama and suspense.
Florence Peake is an artist based in London who has been creating solo and group performance works alongside a broad visual art practice since 1995. Peake is known for a sensual, witty, expressive, and rigorous approach. By encouraging chaotic relationships between the body and material, Peake creates radical and outlandish performances.
In their performance, called Abstract 1, they have abstracted a movement practice from an earlier collaborative work to situate it in Cardion Nights. They engage in ongoing physical connection, disconnection and re-negotiations to reflect on notions of futility, commitment, continuation, need, love and difference.
Gemma Rolls-Bentley curated the event. With nearly two decades of experience in contemporary art, Rolls-Bentley has been a passionate advocate for diversity in the field. The program reflects her and Cardion Arts’ dedication to providing opportunities for artists, amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices, and fostering spaces for connection.
“Cardion Arts and the ICA are excited to platform new and existing performance-based work by artists working across poetry, music and visual art. In a moment when community feels more important than ever, these artists come together to present a special night of celebration, togetherness and fundraising for akt”.
Gemma Rolls Bentley – Curator
The performance night aims to promote a sense of community, creativity, solidarity, and queer joy while also raising awareness and funds for Cardion Arts’ charity partner, akt, which supports homeless queer and trans youth. Scheduled to coincide with Zero Discrimination Day, this gathering calls for inclusivity, compassion, and the transformative power of performance.
Cardion Nights: Queer Performance for akt is on 1 March 2025, 7 pm – 10 pm, at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, United Kingdom.
Tickets: Available via ICA’s website: https://ica.art/cardion-nights
All images supplied.
