LGBTQ+ Art Spotlight

Introduction:

An artist named Maitri Dore makes illustrations on the LGBTQ+ community. She shows how society doesn’t let people love who they want to love. Maitri has been interested in drawing since she was a child. She creates art on ecological initiatives and the LGBTQ+ community. Maitri had dealt with ecological initiatives which influenced her drawings on the issue. Her creations revolved around the LGBTQ+ community because she had a personal interest in the cause.

“I always had an interest in the LGBTQ+ community and the issues it faces”, says 27 year old Dore who believes in gender equality in an interview.

“It is because of that I started contributing to online sites including Baysi and Gaylaxy.”, she added.

Park Bench Test:

“Two people getting intimate on a park bench is not always what you think. The number of possible outcomes is infinite and counting.”

The Fist:

Dore also illustrated for the Chennai-based children's magazine Gokulam. One of Dore's illustrations titled "The Fist" won the first prize in a contest in which the theme was "In and Out of the Closet". This illustration won first prize in a contest whose theme was ‘In and out of the Closet’. Being stuffed into the metaphorical closet is akin to having no identity or means of escape. This is an attempt to capture the claustrophobia and bleakness that is the mental space of individuals who are trapped by the strictures of society. Dore states in another interview, “is an attempt to capture the claustrophobia and bleakness that characterizes the mental space of individuals who are trapped by the strictures of society.”

Sita Chooses:

Dore tries to give a modern twist to the Swayamvara, the practice of choosing a husband, among a list of suitors. In Dores' version, Sita chooses among diverse men and women. Dore writes that such a situation would perhaps be possible in "an egalitarian society". Though she herself is not a member of the LGBTQ community, her work reflects her point of view on the situation faced by members of the community today, she says. Artist Maitri Dore makes art representing and supporting LGBTQ+ and creates a safe community in her illustrations.