5 queer artists making a difference

This year’s Pride season revealed how tone-deaf many institutions still are when communicating with LGBTQ people since many Prides were cancelled or attacked by homophobic groups. This is why queer people telling their own stories in ways that are relevant to them is so important. Contributions by queer people, and particularly those who are marginalized within the LGBTQ community, must find their place in the social environment and challenge the status quo through the beautiful tool of their art. Here are five queer artists, who are making a difference in the perception of LGBTQ community today:

Joe AverageAfter being diagnosed with HIV at the age of 27, Joe Average chose to commit the rest of his life to his art. While his work may seem a bit simplistic, it is undeniably beautiful, colorful, and bright. You can even see his work on banners around the gay village of Vancouver. He is also a prolific photographer, with bright images of flowers, drag queens, birds, and other daily images of life. You can see all of his work here.

Eiki MoriThis Japanese artist is best known for his beautiful photography that explores male sexuality in the most intimate settings. Mori is never flashy and doesn’t demand your attention, instead he invites you to the quiet, more gentle moments. Some of his work can be seen on his website or his Instagram account.

Harriet HortonTaxidermist Harriet Horton’s artistic practice was born out of a rejection of traditional taxidermy methods. The ethical taxidermist uses neon, dyes and texture to create emotive and haunting works. By assembling her sculptures from the mundane fragments of the surrounding natural world, Horton subverts the masculinity of the medium and forces a more conscious interaction between subject and viewer. Horton believes that being queer is central to her thought-process, giving her the power to be confident in her decisions. “When you don’t follow a pre-existing heteronormative path, there are so many obstacles which force you to think differently and creatively.”

Laurence PhilomeneLaurence Philomene is a freelance photographer, director, and curator living in Montreal. Alongside their own artistic practice, who explores gender identity, tenderness, and color theory. Conceptually, the relationship between camp and kitsch underpins much of Philomene’s work, and they cite the “quintessentially queer” sense of rebellion in early John Waters films as a huge inspiration. “I think a lot of it has to do with pushing it to the limit and taking camp to its extreme,” they explain. “That’s what makes art queer to me.” Philomene hopes to use photography to help people understand what queerness means to them, but this hasn’t always been easy in such a heteronormative industry.

Sophie CampbellCampbell is mostly known for comic art work like her graphic novel Wet Moon and her webcomic Shadoweyes. What is most admirable about Campbell’s work is her inclusion of a diverse array of characters of different races, genders, sexualities, and body types, a diversity rarely seen in most comics. She has also drawn for the Jem and the Holograms graphic novel series. You can see all of her work on her art Tumblr.