LONDON.- Talisman a group exhibition of LGBTQIA+ artists, curated by Gemma Rolls-Bentley and E-J Scott is now open to the public until 27th July. The exhibition considers the objects, people and symbols we turn to in order to keep us safe. 

Since ancient times, people have turned to ritual and talismanic objects as a means of protection against unseen forces and existential threats. In that same spirit, Talisman - Cardion Arts’ annual group exhibition for 2025 - draws on this rich legacy of symbolic defence, inviting artists from across the UK to channel their creative energies as acts of safeguarding and resistance. 

Visitors are welcomed into a space of collective sanctuary, shaped by the imaginations of some of the biggest names in queer art alongside a tightly curated selection of early and mid-career artists. The exhibition features Karina Akopyan, Niya B, Jonathan Baldock, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Claye Bowler, KV Duong, Eva Dixon, Jesse Darling, Dudley Dream Walsh, Luke Edward Hall, Lubaina Himid, Erin Holly, Kasra Jalilipour, Wayne Lucas, Richard Maguire, Emily Pope, Prem Sahib, Zach Toppin, Emily Witham, Ajamu X, Osman Yousefzada, alongside objects from the Museum of Transology.

The works on view explore themes of queer spirituality, the supernatural, hurt and healing, bodily sanctity, and our community's shared capacity to summon resilience and good fortune.  

Curators Gemma Rolls-Bentley, and E-J Scott are powerhouses in the artworld. Gemma Rolls-Bentley has been at the forefront of contemporary art for over two decades, working passionately to champion diversity in the field and amplify the work of queer artists. E-J Scott is a curator, cultural producer, and academic known for founding the Museum of Transology. The assistant curator of this exhibition is Katie Della-Vale.

Gemma Rolls-Bentley has been at the forefront of contemporary art for almost two decades, working passionately to champion diversity in the field. Her debut book Queer Art: From Canvas to Club and the Spaces Between was published in Spring 2024 by Frances Lincoln and has been highlighted as a must-read by Them, Dazed, Timeout, The Guardian, Cultured and the FT. Her curatorial practice amplifies the work of female and queer artists and provides a platform for art that explores LGBTQIA+ identity. Gemma has curated for a range of international galleries and institutions, most recently Carl Freedman Gallery, ICA London, Cardion Arts, Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, and London Art Fair. In 2022 she curated the Brighton Beacon Collection, the largest permanent display of queer art in the UK, for Soho House Brighton. Gemma has taught at numerous institutions including the Royal College of Art, the Glasgow School of Art, and Goldsmiths, and is a juror for the 2025 John Moore’s Painting Prize. She is a trustee of the charity Queercircle and sits on the Courtauld Association Committee and the Leslie Lohman Museum Acquisitions Committee.

E-J Scott is a curator, cultural producer, and academic known for their work with the Museum of Transology, a collection of material culture representing trans lives. They are also a Senior Lecturer at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and a Trans-Inclusive Culture Trainer for museums, galleries, and archives. E-J's practice focuses on enabling marginalized communities to recentre their histories through participatory and interventive practices.