Shutterstock is on a mission to help change the way our LGBTQ+ community is represented in photos and the media – because we all know there’s a lot more to us and our everyday lives than only rainbow flags and Pride parades. To start, Shutterstock awarded It Gets Better Grants through their Create Fund to four artists seeking to document various aspects of LGBTQ+ life in their work – and the winners are here! Congrats Simemezelo Xulu, Sonia Teruel, David Peinado, and Stuart Tibaweswa – meet each one, see who inspires them, and learn about the projects they plan to support with their It Gets Better Grants.
Simemezelo Xulu
The Project:
“One of my latest projects is an independent art space where Africans from all walks of life can come together, collaborate, create and display their works. This NPO organisation is a haven for many LGBTQIA+ individuals living in and around Johannesburg city, South Africa – the world’s capital for HIV+ and crime.
The Archive is a space where industry professionals will be able to come into the space and engage in skillshare activities with children and individuals from different backgrounds. We want to create a centre for Africans led by Africans of all races, genders and orientations. This donation from the Create Fund will help us propel this space to greater heights and in turn touch all the lives of the artists, curators, communities, and collaborators we work with.”
Favorite LGBTQ+ artist:
“I have many LGBTQIA + individuals I look up to who also influence my work. One of them is Dr Zanele Muholi; who is a world-renowned performance and visual artist who investigates political issues affecting queer people in Africa. She uses a lot of self portraiture photography and performance to communicate powerful messages in her work. Next would be Judith Butler, scholar and author on gender studies and identity. Her work has broken grounds and continues to influence other Queer Scholars like myself who wish to pick up after her.”
Advice for young LGBTQ+ artists and creatives just getting their start:
“Be gentle to the child that is you. We are all really making this up as we go along. Respect your instincts and your body. God doesn’t make mistakes, so be loud and proud.”
Sonia Teruel
The Project:
“The goal of this project is to explore and to educate about non-binary gender identities. This will be done through intimate photographic portraits of non-binary people who have different conceptions and expressions of gender. In this project I wish to break through the polarization of woman/man and show that gender reality doesn’t need to be dual or even stable.”
Favorite LGBTQ+ artist:
“I have always loved the work by Robert Mapplethorpe. The work of contemporary photographers I follow nowadays are not part of the LGBTQ+ community, or at least not openly, since they are mostly based in Russia and China.”
Advice for young LGBTQ+ artists and creatives just getting their start:
“Be kind to yourself, don’t let criticism or perfectionism cut the wings of your creativity and expression, and always keep an open mind for what you don’t expect. Be realistic but persist in what feels good and authentic. Things take time and everyone has their own process to go through.”
David Peinado
The Project:
“I will document the journey of the LGBTQ+ community of migrants that are transiting from South America towards the USA. I would like to capture their daily lives and unique challenges they go through while pursuing a better life. The impact of this would be shedding light on the trans community, their personal transition, and the transition into different countries within their migration journey.”
Favorite LGBTQ+ artist:
“Lukas Avedaño.”
Advice for young LGBTQ+ artists and creatives just getting their start:
“I always try to work from a humane and respectful perspective. As a documentary photojournalist, I don’t try to change anyone’s life, only to document reality while respecting the dignity of the persons I photograph.”
Stuart Tibaweswa
The Project:
“The project I will use the funds for is titled ‘Things We Love’. Things We Love is a collaborative project with the LGBTQI+ community in Uganda, focusing on presenting participants in a different light, something many headlines deny them. In this project, the subject is flipped to focus on their happiness and joys, further humanizing them. Without revealing their names and identity – they write on a piece of paper about the things they love and those that make them happy. They also share their aspirations and childhood memories.
Their messages will later inform the visual narrative and how I make their photographs. Through such a positive lens, I hope that this long-term documentation contributes to ongoing efforts to counter bigoted narratives that are sustained by skewed media coverage especially in Uganda.”
Favorite LGBTQ+ artist:
“Zanele Muholi.”
Advice for young LGBTQ+ artists and creatives just getting their start:
“Representation and language are very important as this shapes the narratives. Therefore, I advise you to invest knowledge in this area and also be willing to learn and observe new things around what you are creating.”
Be gentle to the child that is you. We are all really making this up as we go along.
Simemezelo Xulu