The Queer Pleasure Archive

The Queer Pleasure Archive is a socially engaged art project and new DIY archive by Newcastle based artist Sarah Li. (2024-ongoing)

The project was born out of a lack of positive and joyful representation of queer people in archives and collections.

Artist Sarah Li collaborated with a select group of LGBTQ+ individuals based in the North-East of England — all connected to the LGBTQIA+ community — to explore the layered meaning of “pleasure” within a Queer context. Together, they delved into how Queer pleasure could be documented, examining its ties to activism, the ways it was experienced, and the barriers that stood in the way.

Artist Emma Bentley Fox, documented these collaborators through a portraiture series in and around the North-East. This photo-series was exhibited at Helix Arts in 2025, and Emma has since run a portraiture workshop as part of the project's 2026 iteration at The Baltic.