A Space of Our Own

An ongoing project aimed at revealing the faces of the underrepresented within the queer community

Back in 2019 I began a project for my final year of my undergraduate degree and, it being an important milestone in my artistic career, I wanted to represent something that meant a lot to me personally as a queer person. 

I asked members of the LGBTQ+ community to volunteer to have their portraits taken. The intention was to bring into focus the gender diversity of those we come across each day, so I decided to bring into light those who align as gender non-conforming, trans, non-binary or whom identify anywhere on the vast spectrum of gender identity that goes beyond the normative idea of the cisgendered man or woman. I want to show that gender identity exists in all shapes, forms and colors which we wear with pride both inside and outside if we are able, even though others may not notice or accept them. We are proud to be something other than what the norm supplies and are not afraid to go beyond the boundaries of society and the binaries of gender. With this project I strive to show the diversity of each individual and to reveal who they really are behind the labels which society may try to impose on those who do not conform. The topic of gender has become a contentious subject in contemporary media as if one's own existence and sense of self should ever be something up for debate. In these spaces that I have created I will give you a glimpse at the beauty and vibrance of these people and the colors that they emanate in their everyday lives. 

The goal of this project? A statement: that no matter how uncomfortable it may make some onlookers, we exist. We always have and we always will. 

I plan to continue this project to showcase an inclusive space for all facets of queerness and gender identity and to give everyone the chance of having a space of their own in order to be seen by the world for their beauty, individuality and truth.