Artist, filmmaker, writer and lecturer Lee Campbell at The Margate School

Artist, filmmaker, writer and Senior Lecturer at @unioftheartslondon, Lee Campbell, will be exhibiting artworks for a group exhibition alongside self-taught artist and writer, Bashar Ali, in celebration of LGBT+ History Month @lgbthistorymonth and in response to our open call.

Lee's exhibition titled Bona Polari! takes Polari as a theme to engage visitors using Lee's recent film The Tale of Benny Harris (2022) written entirely in Polari slang as a catalyst for discussion and a means to invite visitors to create their own polari.

Lee Campbell is also the curator of a regular performance poetry night called POW! Play on Words and founder of Homo Humour, the first of its kind project on contemporary queer male film and moving image practices that explore humour and LGBTQ+ storytelling.

Comedy historically comes from a queer identity defence, when it was harder to be gay in public, to be funny like Kenneth Williams who used gay slang known as Polari to communicate with other gay men covertly. Polari hovers being blunt and allows users ‘to get away with’ being very rude. Historically so, when used in abundance on mainstream radio when the majority heteronormative listener would be oblivious to the innuendo they were listening to / they were laughing at.

Bona Polari! is on at The Margate School from 21 to 28 February open Mon to Fri 10am - 4pm.