PROUD West End to return for a second year
In a celebration of voice, representation and pride, Oxford Street is launching PROUD West End on 11 June. Returning for a second year, this year in collaboration with Grosvenor, the extraordinary outdoor audio-visual exhibition will champion the stories of the LGBTQIA+ community within the vibrant heart of London's West End.
Free to visit, PROUD West End is a gallery of ‘living portraits’ located in Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, curated in partnership with Heard Storytelling. It showcases the real, authentic lived experiences of 11 individuals who will be sharing their true, candid, and personal stories of being part of the West End’s LGTBQIA+ community, delving into what ‘proud’ means to them.
The exhibition will comprise installations of beautiful, large-scale portraits of PROUD West End’s storytellers and visitors will be able to journey through the al fresco gallery by watching and hearing each of their raw, unfiltered stories via video by scanning a dedicated QR code located next to their portrait.
Dee Corsi (she/her), CEO at New West End Company, said: “We are delighted to be bringing back PROUD West End for the second year running, following the incredible reception of last year’s exhibition, created to celebrate our local LGBTQIA+ community during Pride month. What makes the West End so special is the diverse community of people who visit, work and live in its vicinity, and it has been a privilege to work with Heard Storytelling and Grosvenor to bring some of these stories to life with this free-to-access, immersive art exhibition.”
Colette Burroughs-Rose (She/Her), Director at Heard Storytelling said: "The return of PROUD West End for a second year provides a vital platform for voices often unheard. True spoken storytelling uniquely deepens understanding and creates connections. By sharing diverse, lived experiences in this creative and impactful way, we aim to foster solidarity, hope, and pride. Heard Storytelling remains committed to driving positive change through spoken storytelling and we're grateful to New West End Company and Grosvenor for working with us to that end."
Joanna Lea, (she/her) Mayfair Retail Director, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with New West End Company, to bring back the PROUD West End exhibition to Grosvenor Square. Grosvenor’s purpose is to deliver lasting commercial, environmental and social benefit, and celebrating diversity is core to our approach. We are thrilled to host this year's exhibition in Grosvenor Square, showcasing the stories of remarkable individuals from our local Mayfair community.”
An array of Oxford Street’s shops, restaurants and brands will be supporting the celebrations by running offers and experiences as part PROUD West End.
More information will be released soon regarding Oxford Street’s PROUD West End exhibition, launched in partnership with Grosvenor and curated by Heard Storytelling. Stay up to date at @oxfordstreetw1 or visit www.oxfordstreet.co.uk.
ENDS
