Give Me a Word (2024)
Oil and transferred book pages printed in 1908 on canvas
25.5 x 20 x 1.5 cm
This painting created using oil and transferred book pages printed in 1908 on canvas, explores the resilience and struggles of the global LGBTQ+ community. The inclusion of historical pages serves as a poignant reminder of a time when life for gay people was fraught with danger, rejection, and persecution. Through this historical lens, I ask: “What word can we give to ensure this suffering never happens again?”
The translucent nature of the self-portrait allows fragments of printed words to peek through, creating a dialogue between the past and the present. The layering of history, identity, and artistry speaks to the cyclical nature of oppression: history tends to repeat itself. This painting urges the audience to confront this tendency and reflect on the power of words, actions, and commitment in shaping a more just future.
The book was badly damaged and would vanish entirely with time. But by integrating it, I have transformed its remnants into something enduring. The book pages, stories and history – once destined to be forgotten – now live on as part of an artwork that preserves their essence while imbuing them with contemporary meaning. In this way, it transcends its original form, becoming an integral part of the story, my painting tells.
The title also serves as a subtle nod to the people who authored and printed this book, highlighting how history and art intersect in unexpected ways. It challenges the viewer to consider not just what has been written, but what should now be rewritten – for equity, justice, and for those who dare to start anew in the face of adversity.
Had I been living in 1908, my life as a gay man would have been perilous, a fact that underscores the relevance of this piece. Yet, through art, I can now reflect on and reclaim that history, giving voice to those who came before and hope to those who will come after. In this way, it embodies both personal and collective self-reflection, while the layers of the painting – oil, text, and translucent imagery – represent the complexities of identity, history, and the struggle for recognition and equality.
I am, who I am (2024)
Oil on canvas
17 x 17 x 4.5 cm
It’s harder to exist when you’re transgender and living in extreme poverty, in a country where you are afraid to reach out for help or access to appropriate healthcare… But they still do. The struggles of transgender people go beyond prejudice and exclusion. In many places in the world, simply existing as a transgender person means living in fear…
LGBTQ+ worldwide community continues to fight, survive, and exist – despite the odds stacked against us…
Oil on canvas
38.5 x 38.5 x 4.5 cm
Bernadette: [to Felicia] It’s funny. We all sit around mindlessly slagging off that vile stink-hole of a city. But in its own strange way, it takes care of us. I don’t know if that ugly wall of suburbia’s been put there to stop them getting in, or us getting out. Come on. Don’t let it drag you down. Let it toughen you up. I can only fight because I’ve learnt to. Being a man one day and a woman the next isn’t an easy thing to do. – The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).
