Page 51 - Winter Issue

As a queer artist, what role does your identity play in your surrealistic work, and how do you hope it
resonates with viewers from different backgrounds?
Creating surrealist work comes quite naturally to me as a queer artist as it allows me to warp and alter aspects of the
world to fit my vision which I often find myself doing in my day-to-day life. I write of a concept called queer surrealism
which describes when an individual's identity or sexuality is not recognized as the norm or perceived as subservient or
politicized by the global majority. The individual is forced to create their alternate reality by transforming spaces of the
physical by imbuing them with psychic energy. In this space, they can exist removed from their subservient role and
without societal pressures to conform.
Many of your pieces seem to create a sanctuary for queerness, detached from heteronormative
structures. What impact do you hope this space has on the viewer?
With queer work in particular, I often find that there is a commonality and understanding among queer people who can
identify and relate to the work in ways that are inaccessible to a hetero-sexual audience as they can see themself in the
work. However, my paintings allow for the visualization of these pockets of reality. Opening a window of consciousness
for any audience to step into. To experience this world of queer surrealism by proxy.

Boy of Kernow - Oil on linen, 60x70cm, 2024

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